Something About Texas
by LoveableTurtle
Summary: When Ally get's fired from her job, she goes on vacation with her fiance Dallas to Texas to meet his family...at first, it seems like all is going well. But then she meets his younger brother Austin, things get more than a little complicated...
1. Let's go on Vacation

**Here you go...as promised, before the end of October...a lot sooner than expected, actually, but it kinda just wrote itself...I've already got the first two chapters written, so enjoy! Please review! :D **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :(**

Chapter 1

"Honey, I'm home!" Ally called as she walked through the front door of the small apartment she shared with her fiancé, Dallas Cipriano.

"Hey sweetie, how was work?" Dallas was all smiles as he approached her, arms open for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and breathed in his sweet, homely scent.

"Stressful, as usual. Then again, what can you expect when you give a class full of thirteen-year-olds a bunch of musical instruments and tell them to 'experiment'?" Ally sighed, dropping her bag and kicking off her shoes. Dallas smiled fondly at her and slid an arm around her waist, almost unconsciously.

"Maybe you should be a little stricter with them." Dallas suggested.

"I try to be strict, but they're all so…they don't mean to be annoying. They're just kids. They like to have fun. And at the end of the day, they produce good work." I shrugged. He sighed.

"I still think you should be less of a pushover. Maybe if they had more respect for you…"

"They do respect me, Dallas. Look, just forget it. How was your day?" Ally changed the subject, not wanting to get into an argument. They sat side-by-side on the couch, Ally curling into Dallas's side. His arm went around her shoulders and his free hand picked up the TV remote.

"It was okay, not much to tell. What do you want to watch?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"I've got to get up in a minute to cook dinner anyway, so whatever." She sighed dejectedly. Dallas turned off the TV and wriggled around so he was facing her.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. She blinked at him, having no idea how he had figured it out.

"N-nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?" she replied. He sighed.

"Come on, Ally, we've been together for five years. I can tell when you're in a bad mood." He said softly. She sighed in defeat, leaning forwards to lean her head against his chest.

"I'm just…tired. And stressed. Lately it seems like everything is making me cry, like it's some huge thing. Like today, one of the kids dropped a drum and one of the decorative flowers came off. _One decorative flower. _And I totally blew up. I was really and, and I sent him out and everything. I apologised so much afterwards, but that kid is always going to be afraid of me now, and probably the rest of the class too. It wasn't even his fault he dropped it. Someone knocked him. God, I'm such a horrible person." She wailed, burying her head in his chest and balling up his shirt in her hand. He rubbed her back comfortingly, and after a minute or so the sobbing subsided.

"I'm sorry Dal. You're probably tired and hungry, and your job is probably a whole lot more stressful than mine, and here I am, falling to pieces in your arms." She muttered, angry with herself.

"Shh, Ally, don't be sorry. I'm not that hungry and we can just order take-out. I'm tired, sure, but so are you. And my job is usually pretty stressful, but right now I'm just dealing with a load of paperwork. But no matter how tired, hungry or stressed I am, you can always come to me when you need me. I love you, Ally, and I don't want you to feel like you can't cry on my shoulder. Ever. Whenever you need me, I'll be right here." Ally smiled, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes.

"Thank you Dallas. And I'll always be here for you, too." She smiled.

"Anyway, Ally, I have an idea. You're really stressed lately, and it's affecting your teaching, right?"

"Right." She confirmed, not sure where this was going.

"Well, why don't you take some time off work, and I'll do the same, and we can go on some sort of vacation?" he suggested. Ally thought it over for a minute. She was permitted two weeks' vacation time every year, other than the allotted school vacations, and she knew nobody would mind if she took some time off. The school she worked at was small, and all the staff are friends, and she knew they could tell she was going through a rough time. She finally made up her mind, nodding decidedly at her fiancé. He grinned widely.

"Great! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make a few calls…" he said, getting up from the couch and leaning down to kiss her quickly before turning to walk out of the lounge.

"Wait, Dallas! Who are you calling?" she asked. He glanced back at her, grinning.

"It's a surprise." He told her. She groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, baby, please tell me!" she complained. Ally always hated surprises; she's one of the most impatient people Dallas has ever met. But he loves her for it.

Ally lay down across the couch and closed her eyes, listening to the muffled music coming from the apartment above theirs. She could just about make out the song to be Usher's _Without You, _and she smiled in happiness.

After a few minutes, she was fast asleep. Dallas came back into the lounge grinning, but his face fell when he saw that his fiancée was asleep. Then he smiled softly again, admiring her beauty. He chuckled a little when she snored softly, and walked over to pull her into his arms. She stirred but didn't wake up. He carried her into their bedroom and pulled the covers off the bed, gently placing her down. He curled up next to her and pulled the covers over her, smiling in content.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Dallas?" Ally's voice was muffled by the blankets, but Dallas jolted awake nonetheless. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked. She nodded, turning to glance at the alarm clock. Seeing she had an hour before she had to leave, she groaned and threw off the covers.

"I'm gonna go shower. I can't be late for work." She told him. He nodded.

"Are you gonna ask about taking the time off?" he asked her.

"Sure. How long?"

"A couple weeks, if you can. As long as possible, really."

"Okay, I'll ask." She promised, kissing him on the cheek and grabbing some clean clothes, before making her way to the small bathroom to get ready for work.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Hey babe! I'm home!" Dallas called, shutting the door behind him softly. He works late on Fridays, so he got home after Ally.

He frowned in confusion when Ally didn't come running at him. Shaking off his coat and boots, he cautiously made his way into the lounge, feeling his heart break a little at the sight before him.

Ally was sat on the floor, back against the couch, eating ice-cream and bawling. He ran over to her, pulling her into his arms and rocking their bodies back and forth.

"What's wrong Als?" he asked, wriggling out of his crouch and sitting beside her on the floor. She hiccupped a little, which he couldn't help but find adorable, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"R-remember I told you that I blew up at that student yesterday?" she choked out. I frowned.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, it t-turns out that his d-dad is a member of the school-b-board. And when he heard about it, he p-pulled some strings and got me f-fired!" she wailed. Dallas froze, feeling his blood boil.

"They can't do that! They can't fire you with no good reason!" he shouted. She winced.

"They had a reason, Dallas. I scared a kid. He was really, really upset when he got home." She explained. Dallas shook his head.

"Well, you said that you apologised! And he did something wrong!"

"He didn't though. It was an accident, and I overreacted. I terrified all the kids. They think I'm unstable. I can't be around kids if I'm mentally unstable." She sighed.

"But you're not unstable!" Dallas cried. She smiled softly, finally managing to stop crying.

"I know, Dal, I know. But they think I am, and none of the kids in that class will ever forget about it. It's okay though. I'll find another job." She shrugged, putting on a brave face for the sake of her fiancé who was now visibly shaking with rage.

"No, it's not okay, Ally! I am going down to that school right now to give them a piece of my mind!"

"Dallas, come one, that won't help!" she protested.

"Als, I'm a lawyer, of course it will!"

"Dallas, it's almost midnight! Nobody will be there!" she told him, and he relaxed a little.

"Well, I'll go down there in the morning instead."

"Good luck with that. I think the janitor's might be there." she muttered. He frowned in confusion. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, dumbass. Come on, Dallas, just forget it. I'll find another job. But right now…I just want to relax. Can we just go on this vacation and deal with the consequences when we get back?" she pleaded. Dallas thought for a moment, but then his tense muscles relaxed and he nodded. Ally sighed in relief and hugged him tightly.

"You're right. You were going to take some time off anyway. I'm sorry I overreacted. I just…I hate to see you upset, Als." He muttered. She laughed a little and kissed him. He kissed her back and they pulled away smiling.

"So…are you going to tell me where we're going now?" she asked. He grinned.

"Nah, I think I'll make you wait a little longer." She groaned.

"Ugh! Please Dallas?" she begged.

"Well…I wanted it to be a surprise…"

"But you know I hate surprises…and don't you think I've had enough surprises already today?" she hated doing it, but she knew that the guilt-trip always worked with Dallas. One of the benefits of knowing him for five years.

"Fine. We're going to visit my family in Texas." He told her. She froze.

"I, erm…what?" she choked out, shocked. He frowned.

"Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, concerned. She shook her head, expression slowly changing to one of happiness.

"No, of course not! Not at all! I was just surprised. I've never met any of your family, is all." She explained. He looked relieved.

"Good, I was worried for a second. So are you happy about this?" he asked her. She nodded, smiling.

"Very. I can't wait to meet the rest of the Moon's. If they're anything like you, I think I'm going to get on with everyone just fine." She said, grinning. Underneath that smile, though, she hid her true feelings. She was happy to be finally meeting them, of course. But, being Ally, she was worried too. What if she didn't like them? What if _they _didn't like _her_? She was excited, of course, but she couldn't help feeling nervous at the same time.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Hurry up Ally! We'll miss the flight!" Dallas yelled at her. She was currently stood at the end of her bed, suitcase open in front of her, trying to decide between her favourite blue shirt and an extra five pairs of pants. She rolled her eyes at her fiancé's impatience.

"We won't miss the flight! We still have an hour before we need to be there, and it's only a twenty minute drive." She shouted down to him. Dallas had always been a worrier, even more so than herself. Sometimes it was frustrating.

"Why didn't you pack earlier?" he asked her, frustrated.

"Because you refused to tell me where we were going until yesterday! And I didn't have time last night! Ten minutes after you actually told me, I was asleep." she explained. She heard a grunt but he didn't reply, and she smiled in satisfaction. She had won this one. Glancing between the shirt and the underwear, she sighed in defeat and threw them both in. The case was already over-full, and she still had a huge amount of stuff to pack.

Twenty minutes later, Dallas was dragging her cases down the stairs. She had managed to convince him to let her have an extra bag, promising to make up for the extra money it would cost. She followed him down the stairs with the hand luggage, lost in her own little world. She was imagining what it would be like to meet Dallas's family, whether they would be nice or hostile. And yes, she was worrying about her appearance as well. Being a 21-year-old, you would think she would be over her insecurities, but she was still as self-conscious as ever.

The drive to the airport was short and silent, and so was checking in. They sat together in the waiting area, Ally's leg jiggling with nerves, Dallas tapping his fingers impatiently. They knew they probably looked like idiots, but were too caught up in themselves to care.

Finally, after a slight delay, they took their seats beside each other on the plane. Dallas took Ally's hand, knowing she always got scared at take-off. She smiled at him gratefully, pulling out her iPod and slipping her headphones over her head.

Once take-off was over and done with, she took her headphones off and turned to speak to Dallas.

"Are you excited?" she asked him. He grinned and nodded.

"I haven't been home for four and a half years, Als. Of course I'm excited!" he exclaimed. She chuckled, squeezing his fingers sympathetically.

"I feel for you. I mean, dad only moved to England a couple years ago, but I still miss him like crazy. I can't imagine how I'll feel in two years' time. Hopefully I'll have seen him again by then, though." she sighed.

"Don't worry, Als, we can go visit your dad soon. I just really wanted to visit my family, and now that we're engaged…it just seems like we've been putting it off for too long." He explained. Ally nodded, smiling.

"I know. I've been wanting to meet your family for ages." She sighed.

"You want another run-through of the names?" he offered. She bit her lip and nodded guiltily; she had already forgotten names. He smiled.

"Well, my mom is Addison, and she lives in a big house with my dad, Tom, my adopted brother Austin, 17, and my adopted sisters Alice, 12, and Charlotte, 21. Charlotte goes to university, but she's on a short break so you'll get to meet her. Alice is still in school, and she's really shy, but I think you'll like her. Austin is…well, he's a bit of a head-case. Most of the time mom doesn't know where he is, like she might think he's in his room and then she'll get a phone-call asking her to pick him up from a party miles away. I've told her that she needs to be stricter with him, stop being such a pushover, but he's always been a troubled child, adopted when he was 12 from a family that beat him and starved him, and she doesn't want him to think she's starting to treat him the way they did." He explained. Ally smiled, nodding. This was the first time that he had elaborated. Usually he just told her their names and ages.

"Wait, wasn't there another brother? Gary, no, Grady, no…Graham?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, Graham. He's 28 and he lives separately, but he should be there. You'll get to meet them all, don't worry." He reassured her. Ally smiled, nodding as she leant back into her seat and closed her eyes, suddenly tired. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, due to the worry over whether Dallas's family would like her or not. Dallas smiled, squeezing her hand gently. She squeezed back, showing him that she was okay.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

When Dallas eventually woke Ally up just over two hours later, she was surprised, and a little relieved, to find that they were already at the airport in Dallas. She had always hated flights, all that time with nothing to do but sit there and think. Well, she knew she could have watched a movie, or read a book or anything really, but somehow those things seem less fun when they're her only options. She was tired still, though.

The couple took their time getting off the plane and collecting their luggage, because Dallas told them that Charlotte was coming to pick them up, and she's always late. For everything. And sure enough, when they finally got themselves out to the car park, she wasn't there.

Ten minutes of anxiously waiting later, a blue car pulled up in front of the pair and a blonde, smiley young woman jumped out. She squealed loudly and ran over to us, throwing herself into Dallas's arms and kissing him on the cheek. He hugged her back, grinning.

"Dally! Oh, gosh, I've missed you so much! How are you?" she asked loudly. Ally smiled at the reunion, even more so when she noticed that Dallas had tears in his eyes.

"I've missed you too, Charly. I'm good, thanks, how about you?" he replied, pulling away and wiping his eyes. She grinned.

"I'm great, now that you're here. Why did you have to move all the way to Miami? A girl needs her big brother!" she complained. He chuckled.

"You've still got Graham." Dallas pointed out. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Dally, you know Graham moved out years ago."

"Yeah, but he only lives a few minutes away."

"He never visits, though. I barely ever see him. And he's a lot older than me. I miss you, Dallas." She sighed. Then she spotted me, and her expression instantly perked up.

"Oh my God, I completely forgot! I'm so sorry! You must be Ally! We've all been so looking forward to meeting you! Everyone wanted to come here to pick you guys up because they're all so excited, but the house was a mess so I came alone. I'm Charlotte, in case you didn't know, and I am so excited to finally be meeting you!" the young girl babbled, surprising Ally by throwing her arms around her neck. Ally was frozen in bewilderment for a second, but soon enough she was hugging back.

"Hi Charlotte. I've been looking forward to meeting you, too. It'll be nice to have a girl my own age to talk to." She said. Charlotte beamed.

"Oh my Gosh, I forgot you were my age! You look so much more mature! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" she squealed. The three of them piled into the car, Charlotte forcing Dallas to sit in the back to allow Ally to sit next to her in the passenger seat. The two girls chattered away the entire drive, leaving Dallas to listen in, not understanding a word of what they were saying.

By the time they pulled up outside the huge house, Ally felt like she had known Charlotte her entire life.

"I can't wait for us to be sisters, Ally! It's going to be so awesome!" Charlotte exclaimed as they all got out of the car. Ally nodded in agreement, and they started talking about the wedding as they made their way down the drive towards the front door. Dallas stayed quiet, and even if he had wanted to speak he wouldn't have gotten a word in edgewise.

When they reached the front door Ally suddenly went silent, and Charlotte and Dallas both glanced at her, confused. Charlotte smiled sympathetically and Dallas took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly like he had done on the plane. Ally took a deep breath as Charlotte opened the door, and then followed her inside.

Dallas's family were waiting for them in the lounge. His mom was the first to rush over, pulling Ally into a bear hug. Ally hugged back, smiling as she breathed in the scent of lavender and something else that she couldn't quite place.

"Ally! Oh my gosh, look at you! You're so beautiful! Dallas really did well with you, didn't he? It's so nice to finally meet you, we've all been telling Dallas to bring you here for years but he's always been 'too busy'. Busy my ass, I say, but we didn't want to push him. My son's always been a stubborn one, but you probably already know that, am I right?" she asked. Ally smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, he is. Its one of the few things I love about him." She joked. Dallas faked a look of hurt, so Ally turned to him and kissed him quickly.

"She's only joking, son. It's obvious the girl's infatuated with you, even to an old geezer like me." Said a grey-haired, tall guy that Ally assumed was Dallas's father. Dallas smiled and went over to hug his dad.

"Hey dad. I missed you." He said.

"I missed you too son. But at least you've had a beautiful woman to keep you company." He said, nudging Dallas. Everyone laughed except for Addison, who placed her hands on her hips and glared at him angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she huffed. Tom smiled and pecked her on the cheek.

"I was only joking, pumpkin. You're the only beautiful woman I need in my life." He said, and Ally couldn't help but smile at the sweetness of the moment.

Dallas went on to introduce her to his father, his older brother Graham and his little sister Alice. Graham looked exactly like Dallas, only taller and older. He still looked young, though, which he should at only twenty-eight. Alice looked exactly like Charlotte, and she later explained to Ally that the Cipriano's adopted the two of them after their parents died in a house fire when Alice was two and Charlotte was eleven. Alice was just as shy as Dallas had said she was, but Ally managed to get a cautious handshake and a smile out of her.

Once all the introductions were done with, Dallas's mom announced that dinner would be ready in two hours and people began to disperse. Dallas grabbed Ally's hand and led her to their room, and the two of them spent the next half-hour unpacking. When they were done, they sat side-by-side on the bed and smiled at each other.

"So…how did you think it went?" Dallas asked her. She grinned.

"Amazing. Your family are the nicest people I have ever met. Only, isn't there one more? I counted six earlier and there are only five here…" she asked. Dallas sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. Austin's not here. I asked mom; she said he was out with his friends. That could mean anything. You're not missing much. Even if he had been here, he probably wouldn't have bothered leaving his room to come say hi to us."

"Oh, okay. Well, it still feels weird. Like, until I've met him, I haven't really met everyone in your family…" she said.

"I know. Well, he should be home at some point. Knowing him, he'll be back for dinner. He is a teenage boy." Dallas sighed, and something in his tone made Ally drop the subject.

**Review? Please? :D **


	2. Meeting Austin Moon

**IMPORTANT!**

**Okay, so, there's been a lot of confusion with the ages. Austin is 17, as most of you know. Dallas is 23, and Ally is 21. I know, if they're lawyers and teachers then they should be older, but pretend they're, like, doing apprenticeships or they are super-smart and graduated early, else the story just falls flat. Thank you!**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews for the first chapter, you guys are amazing! I love you all! :D Please keep reviewing, they're like a drug to me, and I need my fix :)**

**Disclaimer; I own nothing but the plot line, much to my distaste :( It's on my Christmas list, though, so lets hope Santa's feeling generous...**

Chapter 2

Ally was half expecting dinner to be awkward, being the only person that wasn't family, but they all treated her like they had known her forever and all of the talk was so light-hearted and fun that she couldn't help but enjoy herself.

As it turned out, Dallas was wrong about his brother. Austin didn't show up for dinner, but nobody seemed worried. In fact, his name wasn't mentioned once. She couldn't quite get her head around this, around the way they just didn't care that this seventeen-year-old boy was out doing God-knows-what.

"Ally? Ally!" Dallas shook her shoulder roughly, making her jump and knock her drink over. She was on her feet in an instant, mopping it up with a napkin and apologising profusely to Addison.

"Don't be silly Ally, it wasn't your fault. Just an accident." Dallas's mom said, smiling at her. Ally knew she had gone bright red and was still furious at herself.

"Let me clean it up, Addison! I knocked it over, it's only fair!" she protested as Addison took the napkins from her and started cleaning the table.

"No, Ally, it's fine. You go clean yourself up, it's all over you. I don't mind doing it, I promise. You're the guest, after all. And if it's anyone's fault, it's Dallas's."

"No! You can't blame Dallas!" she cried. Charlotte and Addison laughed, and even Graham smiled in amusement.

"Ally sweetie, you're marrying the guy. You have to learn to blame him for things, even when they aren't his fault. That's the whole point of a husband." Addison commented dryly. I blushed, but couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Oh, okay. It's your fault Dallas." I joked, looking at him. I was already feeling less embarrassed, but I still felt guilty that Addison was cleaning up my mess. Charlotte must have read my mind, because she smiled at me sympathetically.

"Don't worry about it, Ally. Mom loves cleaning things up. It makes her feel useful." Charlotte said. Everyone laughed, but Addison nodded to confirm it.

"Okay then, if you're sure…I'll go change. I won't be long."

"You might want to shower too, sweetie. That was pretty strong wine, and you'll smell like it all night if you don't." Addison advised her. She nodded gratefully and took off upstairs.

When she got into the guest room she shared with Dallas she was relieved to see that it had an ensuite. She grabbed some clean clothes from her drawers, laying them out on the bed, and found a towel in the bathroom. Closing the door softly behind her, she turned on the shower and climbed in. There were bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash already in there, for which she was grateful. She had brought her own, but the hot water was too soothing and she really didn't want to get out of the shower.

Twenty minutes later she finally forced herself to turn off the water and climb out, wrapping herself in the soft towel. Opening the bathroom door, she made her way across the bedroom to sit in front of the vanity table where she had placed all her make-up and body care things. She started by moisturising her face, then the rest of her body and finally she plugged in her hairdryer and dried her hair, brushing it through at the same time. She groaned when she got the brush stuck for a fifth time; her hair was untameable when wet.

"Stupid hair." She muttered, and then smiled as she remembered that she'd packed her detangling spray. Jumping up from the seat, she ran over to her other suitcase, which she hadn't quite gotten around to unpacking yet, and rummaged through until she found the desired item.

"Ahaa!" she cried out loud, throwing her hands up in triumph and almost dropping the towel.

She made her way back over to the table and sprayed her hair, sighing in relief as the brush slid through the matted curls reasonably easily. Once she was done with the hair she checked the time, and realising that it was past eleven o'clock, she decided to put on her pyjamas. She neatly re-folded the clothes she had laid out and found her comfiest flannel PJ's to put on. She smiled at the sight of them. They had little blue and red cows on them and each cow had a speech bubble saying 'Moove over, it's my bed!'.

She picked up the pyjama top, about to put it on, and then froze.

"No, don't, they'll hear us."

"But what if there's someone in this room?"

"I told you, this is a guest room. No-one uses it. There's no-one in there."

"I can't climb though!"

"I'll go first, then you just have to get half way and I can pull you up."

"This seems like a lot of bother. Can't we just use the door?"

"They'd never let us in."

"Okay, fine, have it your way."

Ally was paralyzed in fear, all sorts of scenarios running through her mind as she listened to the hushed conversation through the open balcony doors. She knew she should warn the others, tell them that someone was trying to break in, or call 9-1-1 or something, but she was too scared. She heard some fumbling and banging, and a few muffled swear words, and finally a blonde head popped up over the balcony. He didn't see her, and she watched in terror as he pulled himself over the balcony and then reached back down to grab someone's hand and pull her up with him.

Ally got a good look at them as he was pulling the girl over. He was tall and lanky, perfectly tousled blonde hair and, from what she could see, a body to die for. She could be described in exactly the same way, only her hair was red. Ally thought, for a second, that they were dressed a little strangely for burglars. And then they both spotted her, and she didn't have time to think about anything.

The guy's eyes widened and the girl looked stricken, panicked. They both took a step towards her and she opened her mouth to scream. Before she could get a sound out, however, as the guy took two strides and had a hand over her mouth, the other around her waist. Her eyes bugged out in panic as she struggled to kick him, fight him off. The girl was stood behind them, still in the doorway to the balcony, as the guy started whispering commands.

"Don't make a sound, please. I'll take my hand off your mouth if you promise not to scream. And please stop kicking me, it hurts." He said. She nodded, pretending to be scared enough to comply, and he looked relieved and moved his hand, stepping backwards. She took the opportunity to land a kick right in his crotch, making him double over in pain and call her a name she didn't appreciate.

"Get the fuck out of this house before I call the cops!" Ally hissed, voice hoarse. She was so scared her throat had closed off, leaving her unable to make any sound louder than a croak.

"Why would you call the cops? And who are you to tell me to get out of my own house?" the guy said venomously.

"Because you're breaking in, and-wait, your own house? What are you-oh shit. Are you Austin, by any chance?" she asked, face paling. She mentally face-palmed when he nodded his head.

"Who else would I be? And why would you think I was breaking in?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you were climbing up a _balcony _and talking about people hearing you?" Ally snapped, not even gracing his first question with an answer.

"Yeah, well, I live here. And we were sneaking up the balcony because my parents would kill me if I tried to come in the front door, and especially with a girl." He muttered, finally standing up straight although he still looked a little pained.

"Well what are you even doing with this girl? And why are you home so late?" Ally questioned, arms folded. He sneered at her.

"Who do you think you are? My mother?"

"No, but I'm gonna be your sister in law soon, and I'm pretty sure an older sister is allowed to ask these questions." She said. As a matter of fact, she had no idea who she thought she was or why she was asking him these questions. But she went with it. There was just something about this guy…it infuriated her. And she wanted answers.

"Sister in law…oh my God, you're Dallas's bitch?" he asked, looking her over incredulously. She scowled, and then slapped him. Hard. He stumbled back a little, moving his hand to his reddening cheek in shock. The girl behind him gasped.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I am not Dallas's 'bitch'. I am his _fiancée. _And I don't appreciate being referred to in such derogatory terms." She said icily. He looked a little sheepish, which surprised her.

"Sorry, I guess. I don't know where that came from. I didn't mean it like that. I was just…surprised. How did my brother manage to get a girl like you?" he asked, eyebrows rose.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you're, like, hot. And he's…Dallas." Austin clarified. Ally felt her cheeks redden but she continued to glare at him.

"Excuse me? I'm a person, not a temperature. I'd rather you spoke to me as such."

"Whatever. Seriously, what do you see in my brother?"

"Dallas doesn't seem to like you much…and now I'm beginning to understand why. Please leave so I can get dressed." Ally muttered coldly. Austin frowned for a second, before shrugging and gesturing for the girl to follow him out. Before he left, however, he turned back to Ally.

"I meant what I said, you know. You are pretty hot. Especially when you're wearing nothing but a towel." He said, licking his lips suggestively and then closing the door behind him. Ally gaped after him, appalled and slightly, ever-so-slightly, intrigued.

Shaking it off, she went back to her pyjamas and pulled them on hurriedly. Without another thought, she ran out of the room and went to go down the stairs. Then she groaned and turned back to go turn off the lights, but her way was blocked by a far-too-familiar face.

"What do you want now?" she hissed.

"Don't tell anyone I'm back. Please." He said bluntly, adding the 'please' at the end as if it was an afterthought. She rolled her eyes.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because if you do…I'll tell my brother all about how good you look in a towel…" he threatened. She paled. She had a feeling that if Austin told Dallas that, he would be too angry to listen to any explanation the attempted to give him. Sighing in defeat, she nodded.

"Fine, but tell me why."

"Why what?"

"Why you don't want people to know you're home."

"Because I have a hot, soon to be naked, girl waiting for me in my bedroom and I'd rather not be disturbed by angry family members, if you get what I mean." He said. Ally was disgusted.

"You're seventeen!" she gasped, because really, that was all she could manage to say. He raised an eyebrow.

"I have experience beyond my years. If my brother ever gets boring, feel free to call me." He said, smiling. Ally slapped his chest.

"You're disgusting, and much too young for me. Besides, that would be like trading in a Porsche for a mini." she said, and even though she never stooped to such crudeness, it was all worth it for the look on his face. As she turned away, though, she saw his shocked expression shift to a smile, and she had a bad feeling that he was planning something.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&&A&&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"So, have you had a good day?" Dallas asked her as they simultaneously slumped down onto the double bed. Ally sighed at the feeling of the soft mattress underneath her.

"Yeah, it's been great. All your family is amazing. I think this vacation is going to be great. I get along with everyone."

"Except Austin." He commented. She froze, her eyes snapping open.

"What?" she gasped. He looked her, confused.

"You haven't met Austin yet, so you don't know if you get along with him or not…" he said slowly, like she was an idiot. Which she kind of felt like she was.

"Oh, yeah, of course. My bad."

"You're acting weird, Ally. Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, smiling reassuringly.

"Come on, are we going to bed?" she asked him.

"I was gonna get a shower before I went to sleep, if you don't mind…" he said. She nodded quickly, already on the other side of the bed and pulling back the covers.

"Sure, whatever. I'll probably be asleep by the time you wake up, though." She told him apologetically. He shrugged.

"I'll see you in the morning, won't I? Waking up next to you every morning is good enough for me." He said. Ally smiled at his sweetness, although she couldn't help but find it a little too corny. She turned out the lights and closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep quickly, but almost as soon as the bathroom door closed, the door to the bedroom opened. Sitting up quickly, she looked to the doorway. The redheaded girl that Austin had been with earlier was stood there, and her face was streaked with tears. Ally was out of bed like a shot, and she went over to the girl cautiously, worried she might spook and run for it.

"Are you okay, erm…"

"Cassidy. My name is Cassidy." The girl choked out, before breaking out into a fresh round of tears.

"Cassidy, what's wrong?"

"I though he liked me! I thought he actually wanted me because I'm me! But no, he just wanted me because I'm a girl, and I was willing to give him what he wanted. He didn't even know my name. He had no clue. You know what he called me? Danni. He called me 'Danni'. It's not even like he got it close. It was just a random guess. He had no idea what my name was!" she wailed. Ally glanced towards the bathroom door, panicking, but the shower was too loud for Dallas to hear them. Despite that, Ally wrapped an arm around her and led her outside, onto the balcony.

"I'm assuming this is Austin you're talking about?" she said. Cassidy nodded. Ally sighed and hugged the poor girl. She vaguely remembered when she was seventeen, but she had been with Dallas at that point and had never been through anything like this.

"I thought he was different, but he's just the same. They're all the same. They're all after one thing, and if you don't give it to them, you're through." She muttered angrily. I rubbed her back soothingly.

"That's not true. It might seem like it, but it's not. You'll find a guy to love you, really love you, one day. Especially a gorgeous girl like you." Ally whispered.

"I don't think so. I've dated so many guys, and they're all the same."

"Well, you've just been unlucky. I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone else this. You know Dallas, the brother Austin was talking about?"

"Yeah, the one he didn't think could get a girl like you."

"Yeah, well, he got me, because I love him and he loves me. And we've been together for five years, since I was sixteen, and we're still going strong. And, this is the secret part…we've never had sex." Ally admitted. She felt partly relieved, glad to finally have gotten it off her chest, and partly terrified that it might get back to anyone she knew, or worse, Dallas. Of course, Dallas knew that they had never had sex. But he wouldn't appreciate finding out that she had told some random stranger she had known for a few minutes.

"Really?" Cassidy asked incredulously. Ally nodded.

"Yeah. And he's never once pushed for it, or threatened to leave or anything. He loved me for me, not for my body. And I'll admit, I'm so lucky to have a guy like that. I mean, a lot of guys would try it on, even if they did love you. Because they're guys, and that's what they do. But if he loved you, he would be willing to wait. And he wouldn't sneak you into the house via guest room balcony, and he definitely _would _know your name." she said pointedly. Cassidy nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You're right. Austin is a jerk. You're so lucky you're grown up, and you've got a great fiancé, and you don't need to worry about guys anymore. I wish I could have my life sorted out like you do."

"Oh, believe me, I don't have my life sorted. In fact, I got fired from my job yesterday. But at the end of the day, I have Dallas, and that's all I need." Ally said. Cassidy smiled, and then both girls' heads whipped around at the sound of Dallas calling Ally's name.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." Sighed Cassidy. Ally smiled at her.

"Look, I'll give you my number. Then you can call me if you need anything, okay?" she offered. Cassidy smiled gratefully, and pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket. Ally typed her digits in and then the two girls awkwardly hugged goodbye. Ally was about to take Cassidy down the stairs and to the front door, but before she could speak Cassidy was over the balcony and Ally heard a few scrambling sounds and a thud as she climbed down. She leant over the top to see if the young girl was okay, and smiled in relief when Cassidy brushed herself off and looked up. They smiled and waved at each other, and then Cassidy was making her way down the street.

"Ally?" Dallas said her name from the door to the balcony. He had a towel around his waist and he was hugging himself, shivering with cold.

"Dallas, what are you doing? Go back inside, you'll get ill!" Ally chided him, pushing him back into their bedroom.

"You're one to talk. What on earth were you doing out there? I thought you were going to sleep?" he asked, suspicious. Ally briefly considered telling him the truth, but she knew Cassidy wouldn't want him to know. If she told him the truth, Cassidy would sound like a cheap slut, which Ally definitely did not want, and she would be breaking her promise to Austin. No matter how much she didn't like the guy, Ally was _not_ one to break promises.

"I couldn't sleep, and I felt a headache coming on, so I went outside to get some fresh air." She lied, kissing him on the cheek and then climbing back into bed. Dallas sighed, not believing her but not wanting to start an argument. He quickly changed into a pair of sweats and got into bed beside Ally. She smiled and snuggled closer, running her hands down his warm torso. He wasn't a gym kinda guy, and his flat, smooth stomach was proof of that, but Ally liked to think she didn't care about the lack of a six-pack. Which she didn't, not really. She's not that superficial. But it would have been nice…she always imagined herself with some gorgeous, buff super-model guy. Dallas was gorgeous, there's no doubt about that. But Ally managed to get to the gym twice a week, so she didn't see why Dallas couldn't, especially since he did most of his work from home.

She loved him no matter what, but it would have been nice if he took a little more care of his body. Sighing, she kissed him quickly to remind herself of all the amazing things that she loved about him and resigned herself to the fact that the only six-packs she would probably ever see were those of guys on TV and the six-packs of beer Dallas buys about once a month.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Knock knock! Are you two decent? I don't wanna walk in on anything! Me and my brother aren't _that _close."Came Charlotte's voice from the other side of the door. Dallas shot up, then realised it was just his sister and relaxed. Rubbing his eyes, he managed to speak through the yawn threatening.

"Come in sis. It's fine." He called. Charlotte opened the door and skipped inside, grinning as she jogged over and opened the curtains. They both looked at Ally, who was groaning and burying her head in the pillows and muttering something about 'five more minutes'.

"Wow…have you ever noticed she's just like Austin?" Charlotte commented. Dallas frowned for a second.

"She's nothing like Austin." He muttered. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Oh, get over it already Dallas. Austin's your brother, you have to stop hating him one day. Besides, I only meant the way she's refusing to get up." Charlotte sighed. Dallas relaxed.

"I can hate him for as long as I want to, Charly. And he's not my biological brother, thank God. We don't even share a last name." he muttered, a little relief in his voice. Charlotte reddened in anger.

"Don't you dare, Dallas Cipriano! Austin is as much your brother as I am your sister! I don't technically share your last name either! The only reason Austin as a Moon and not a Cipriano is because he didn't want to change it! So get over yourself, because when you insult him by referring to his status as an adopted brother, you're insulting me too." She shouted. Ally was jolted awake, and was rubbing her eyes and looking from Charlotte to Dallas worriedly.

"What's going on?" she asked sleepily. Dallas and Charlotte, who had been engaged in an angry staring contest, looked away from each other.

"Nothing, Als."

"Yeah, Ally, don't worry about it, Dallas is just being a dickhead."

"I heard you say something about hating Austin…why do you hate Austin?" she asked, turning to Dallas. He sighed and rubbed his face.

"Something happened…it was a long time ago, and it's mostly forgotten about now. Please don't make me talk about it, Ally." He pleaded. Ally sighed and nodded, albeit reluctantly. Charlotte chuckled.

"Don't worry, Ally, I'll tell you later, when misery guts is somewhere else." She promised.

"Thanks Charlotte." Ally smiled at her. Charlotte shrugged.

"S'okay. I'll see you guys in a minute, but you need to get ready. We're all going to the mall." She said. Dallas groaned.

"Do we have to?" he asked. He sounded like a kid, noted Ally.

"Yeah, we do. Alice is meeting some friends and we're all going to give Ally a bit of an introduction to Dallas. The place, not the person…you're probably already better acquainted with my brother Dallas than any of us…" she muttered, shuddering. Ally blushed, biting her lip.

"Erm…"

"Don't comment! I know, I set myself up for that one, but please…eurgh. Just get dressed, guys. We're leaving in an hour." She said, closing the door behind her. Dallas and Ally looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Is it really that strange for us to not have had sex yet?" Ally asked, sounding a little apologetic. Dallas shrugged.

"Well, everyone seems to assume we have, so I guess it is…but this relationship is between us, Ally, and no-one else. I'm willing to wait for you to be ready, and if you're never ready, I guess it'll never happen." He shrugged. Ally smiled, kissing him. They lingered a little longer than they should have, knowing that everyone was waiting for them, so Ally broke it off after a little while and they got out of bed to get ready.

**Pwease review! Pwetty pwease! 'Cause you love me! :D**


	3. Going to the Mall

**Thanks so much for the reviews and favourites on last chapter! I love you all so much! I hope you like this chapter just as much, I'm sorry there isn't much Auslly yet but there will be sneaky moments and it will be worth the wait, trust me...:)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 3

When they got to the mall, Alice said goodbye to everyone and ran off towards a group of girls that looked around her age. When she reached them Ally had to stifle a giggle; they were all a lot shorter than her. Dallas frowned at her, shaking his head in amusement. She smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing as his arm immediately went around her waist and he pulled her closer.

"Ready to be properly introduced to Dallas?" he asked her. She smiled.

"If it's anything like you, I already love it." She said, ignoring the part of her that was cringing at the cheesiness. She heard someone scoff behind them and they both turned to see Austin looking disgusted.

"Please, keep the corny stuff to a minimum. Some of us normal human beings don't want to hear it." He muttered. Dallas glared at him while Ally just rolled her eyes.

"Don't be jealous, Austin. Green isn't a good colour on you." Dallas muttered what would have been an innocent insult, but there was something in his voice that made Ally think he was thinking of much worse things.

"As if I'm jealous." Austin replied, and was about to say more but Addison cut them off.

"Okay, kids, quit bickering. Today is a happy, fun, family day." She chided. Ally blushed.

"Mom," Dallas groaned, "we're not exactly kids anymore."

"As long as you act like children, I will treat you as such." She said. Charlotte laughed, rolling her eyes and striding towards Ally. The girls linked arms, giggling, and Charlotte started dragging her away from everyone else.

"Come on, Ally, let's leave the boys to do their own thing…there's a sale on at Victoria's Secret." Charlotte whispered conspiratorially. Ally chuckled and waved to Dallas, who waved back. Dallas then turned to look at the others, scowling when his eyes met his younger brother's.

"Well done." He muttered. Austin threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Hey, wasn't me! You don't need my help to drive your girlfriend away, you do that all by yourself." Dallas stepped forwards menacingly but Graham grabbed his shoulder.

"No, Dallas. Just leave it." He muttered. Dallas scowled but turned away, visibly shaking with rage. Addison sighed in disappointment. She had hoped that after five years apart, her two youngest sons would have buried the hatchet. But apparently that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"You have to buy this, Ally!" Charlotte cried. Ally glanced up from the rack of lacy underwear she had been half-heartedly flicking through and blushed.

"As if, Charlotte. That's not even underwear; I might as well go commando!" she protested. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Less is more, baby. Besides, whereas I'm sure Dallas would appreciate your going commando, I think you should buy at least _some _nice underwear. You know, put on a show…" she said, eyebrows raised. Ally blushed again.

"Dallas isn't into that kind of stuff. Besides, he'd kill me. He doesn't believe in spending money on things like that. Buy things for the quality, not the label, tat kinda stuff." Ally explained. Charlotte huffed.

"Okay, first of all, he is so into that stuff. All guys are into sex, Ally. And you don't need to tell _me _about my brother being a cheapskate- for our birthdays, he used to make us swords and crossbows and stuff out of branches from the tree in our backyard. Graham and Austin loved it, but Alice and me…not so much." Ally laughed, then paused, realising something.

"Wait, you said Austin loved it…so, were they friends once?" Ally asked. Charlotte snorted with laughter.

"Friends? Are you kidding? Dallas was already in Miami when Austin was adopted, and about six months after he was Dallas came home for a visit…you should know, you were dating him at the time. Well, when he found out that Austin had his old room, he was a little angry. And then he found out that we'd given him all of his old stuff that he left behind, and when he saw Austin hug mom and kiss her cheek…he flipped, started shouting and screaming about how we were replacing him…it wasn't pretty, and Austin ended up with a black eye. Dallas left soon after that." She explained. Ally was shocked; that sounded nothing like the loving, happy, carefree Dallas she knew. Then again, he did seem to act completely different when he was around Austin.

"So that's why he was in such a bad mood when he came home. I thought he was just stressed." Charlotte nodded.

"Probably. Anyway, ever since then he's had a grudge against Austin and when mom told him about Austin staying out overnight, getting drunk, sleeping around etcetera, I guess it just made this stupid chip on his shoulder even bigger. I kept telling her not to mention Austin to him, but she couldn't seem to help herself."

"I feel so bad for your poor mom. And you, too. It must be horrible, having two brothers who hate each other."

"That's the thing. They don't hate each other! Dallas hates Austin, but Austin doesn't hate Dallas! At all! And he may not act like it, but it really hurts him. He's gotten pretty good at hiding it over the years, but it's obvious to us."

"I can't believe Dallas. I mean, I know he's pretty judgemental, but I didn't think he was the type of guy to hate someone so openly. Especially someone who's family." Ally was utterly confused. What could Austin possibly have done to make Dallas hate him so much? Was it really just because he felt he was being replaced?

"None of us did. But whenever we try to ask, he refuses to give a straight answer. It's just…I don't understand! Before yesterday, Dallas had only met Austin once, and he only stayed here for four days! I don't get it." She sighed.

"Maybe it's just their personalities…the only other person I know that Dallas hates is my old friend, Tilly Thompson. She's blonde and perfect-looking, and she used to have all the guys drooling over her. Dallas hated her from day he first met her." Ally said softly, inadvertently helping Charlotte realise exactly why Dallas hated Austin so much. She gasped, looking at Ally excitedly.

"What? Charlotte?"

"Oh my God, Ally, you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"Yeah! You just figured it out!"

"I did?"

"Yeah. Don't you get it?"

"I don't." Charlotte laughed at Ally's attempt at humour.

"Dallas hated this Tilly girl because she was blonde and perfect, right?"

"Right."

"Well, Austin's blonde and pretty perfect, don't you think? I mean, as his sister it kinda grosses me out a little, but if we weren't related…the guy is pretty yummy. Don't you think?" she asked. Ally went bright red and struggled to speak. She couldn't quite figure out why, though.

"Well…I guess he's, erm…he's alright, I mean…definitely not _ugly, _per say…" she stammered. Charlotte laughed.

"Come on, Ally, it's just us girls. You can say it! I won't tell Dallas." she joked. Ally shook her head, face paling.

"Ew, no! I just…I didn't want to say anything mean. I mean, I'm sure he'd be pretty hot to girls his own age, but I'm four years older than him. Maybe you should ask someone closer to his age. Someone who isn't engaged to his brother, as well." She finally found her voice. Charlotte looked a little sheepish.

"Right, yeah. Forgot about the age difference. Anyway, four years isn't much! And it's his birthday in a week, so it's only three years. Unless you're birthday is soon too…" Ally's birthday was three weeks ago. But she wasn't about to admit that. Instead, she shrugged.

"Still, he'll only be eighteen. Still too young for me to think he's not."

"Please, cut the crap. My mom is seven years older than my dad, and she _still _calls him a 'hunk'." Charlotte muttered. Ally didn't even dignify that with a response. The two girls continued rifling through the racks until Charlotte couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on, Ally, I still think you should buy this." She said, grabbing the lacy pink number that had started their conversation in the first place. Ally rolled her eyes and shook her head again.

"I just lost my job, Char. I can't shell out," she paused to look at the price tag, eyes widening as she read the digits, "seventy-five dollars! For a piece of lace? Really? It doesn't even come with a bra!" she gasped, shocked. Charlotte laughed.

"Sexy doesn't come cheap, my friend. The bra's an extra hundred and twelve. But I'll get it- my treat." She said. Ally frowned, shaking her head.

"Thanks, but I can't let you do that. It's too much."

"Stop, Ally. Don't even try it. I am buying you this underwear, and you're not going to stop me."

"But-"

"No buts, Ally. Besides, it's more for Dallas than it is for you." She shrugged. Ally blushed bright red, shaking her head.

"I can pretty much guarantee that Dallas won't see it. Well, he might, but not while I'm wearing it." She muttered. Charlotte laughed shortly.

"So, what, you make him close his eyes while he undresses you?"

"Actually, he never undresses me…" Ally's face was now on fire.

"So you undress yourself and then go to him? I suppose that's one way of doing it, although it's not very interesting…"

"No! I mean…he'sneverseenmenaked." She mumbled.

"What?"

"He'sneverseenmenaked."

"Say again, a little bit louder and a little bit slower…"

"We've never had sex, Charlotte! Ugh!" she shouted. She then looked around to see the curious, and slightly surprised, faces of the other customers in the store. She looked at the ground, humiliated.

"What? How? Why? Oh my Gosh, Ally! You've been together for five years! You're _engaged? _Are you one of those people who wants to wait until you're married?" she asked, shock radiating from her.

"Not really, it's just…I've never really offered, and he's never pushed for it. It's nothing to do with attraction…we've just never gotten around to it." She shrugged.

"Wow. I admire you, really. I mean, at least this way you know he's truly marrying you for love. I could never do that. Wait, you've been with him since you were sixteen…does this mean you're a, you know, erm…"

"Yeah, I'm a virgin. Please don't tell anyone, though. I'm not really embarrassed, but I don't particularly want people talking about my sex life…or lack thereof." She muttered. Charlotte smiled.

"Of course not! Your secret's safe with me." She stage-whispered. Ally smiled.

"Thanks Char."

"No problem. Now come on, I'm still buying you this underwear. You'll get around to it one day, and on that day, you should be prepared…as much as it disgusts me to think about my brother like that." She said, shuddering slightly. Ally just laughed half-heartedly, trying to control her flaming cheeks as Charlotte led her to the checkout.

When they finally met up with Addison and the boys, they were each carrying armfuls of shopping bags. Ally had bought most of her own stuff, finally giving in to temptation and spending. She had a lot of money saved up. Her parents had made her a trust fund for college, and she had been saving since she was twelve so that she could go to a good one, but then she got a full scholarship to an amazing school a whole year early, so she still had around twenty thousand in a trust fund. Add to that all the money she had been saving from her wages, on Dallas's advice, she had a pretty big bank account. Dallas had always told her it was best to keep saving, just in case they needed it someday, but Charlotte finally managed to convince her that it was okay to spend _some _of her money.

"Ally, baby…what have you bought?" Dallas was grinning as he stood to greet his fiancée with a hug, but his face fell when he took in all the bags. Ally grinned at him, leaning forward to kiss him.

"Hey baby! Charlotte finally convinced me to spend some of my savings! I had no idea that shopping could be so much fun when you have plenty of money to spend!" she squealed excitedly. Dallas frowned.

"But I thought we were saving that money, you know, just in case…" he said, trying to keep his voice level, but Ally could sense the anger. And she was angry too. It was her money, and he had no right to be angry with her for spending it.

"Relax, Dally, I didn't spend that much. Besides, it was _you _who decided we were saving it, not me. Which is stupid, really, considering it's _my_ money, not yours." Everyone else was silent now, watching the two lovebirds.

"Yeah, but I thought you wanted to be sensible, Ally. Spending it on silly clothes and jewellery isn't exactly sensible." He muttered. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Dallas, I know for a fact that you buy yourself a new Rolex every Christmas. Is that what you'd call 'sensible?'"

"You know about that?"

"You really think I can't tell one watch from another?"

"I suppose…but still, that's a watch, Ally. I need a watch."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't need a new one every year! And there are plenty of good watches out there that don't cost upwards of three thousand dollars!" she yelled. Dallas snapped, face flushing with anger.

"Yeah, but the difference is, _I _can afford it. I'm a lawyer, Ally! Heck, I'm the only one in this relationship that still has a job!" he yelled back. Ally took a step back, shocked that he would stoop so low. Dallas's expression immediately turned to regret.

"Ally, I'm sorry-"

"Save it, Dallas. I'm leaving. Charlotte, could you come with me please?" she asked, turning to the other girl with pleading eyes. Charlotte nodded, and Addison threw her the car keys.

"Go put your bags in the car, girls. We'll all get some food. Everyone's tired and hungry, and we all just need to relax and cool down a little." She said, smiling warmly at Ally. She smiled back, relieved that Dallas's family hadn't turned against her after her fight with Dallas.

The two girls made their way back to the car slowly, not speaking the entire way. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, though. Charlotte knew Ally needed some time to think, and Ally was grateful that Charlotte was giving her that thinking time.

When they finally got to the car Ally's breathing was back to normal. They dumped the bags in the trunk and leant against it, side by side. Eventually, Charlotte broke the silence.

"He didn't mean that, by the way. He told us what happened yesterday, while you were changing. He does that sometimes…says stupid things in the heat of the moment. I don't know why I'm telling you this; you probably already know." She sighed. Ally shook her head.

"Actually, I don't. We've never had a fight before. I've only even seen him angry a few times, and never at me." She said. Charlotte smiled a little grimly.

"Maybe that's something to do with the no sex thing. Maybe that's the key to a relationship; no sex, no fighting." She joked. Ally forced a smile, but Charlotte knew she wasn't really amused.

"Maybe. Maybe it's got more to do with the fact that he's finally beginning to realise that he doesn't love me as much as he thought he did." She sighed. Charlotte scoffed, shaking her head vehemently.

"As if. Ally, I've seen the way he looks at you. There's no way he's not in love with you. No way. Simply not possible." She insisted. Ally sighed, nodding in agreement.

"I know. I guess I just…I get so insecure sometimes. And I'm still reeling from what he said. I know everyone makes mistakes and says stupid things, and I've already forgiven him…I just can't get over it. He saw how hurt I was, and he still said it."

"Don't worry, Ally. You guys will make up, I just know it. But right now we should probably get back to the others." She said. Ally nodded, wiping her eyes. She hadn't even realised she was crying until she felt a tear drop off her chin.

When they got back to the table Ally was smiling and laughing at something Charlotte had said. Dallas looked at her hopefully but she simply nodded coolly at him, as if to say 'we'll be okay, but I'm still mad'. He seemed to get the message, as he nodded back and looked back down at his hamburger. Ally grinned when she saw that they had ordered her a burger, sitting down and greedily taking a bite out of the burger. She moaned at the taste; it was the first thing she had eaten all day. From beside her she heard a snort of laughter, and she turned to see Austin smirking at her.

"Wow. Looks like an angel, eats like a pig." He joked. Ally blushed.

"Watch it, Austin." Dallas said lowly. Austin sighed, leaning back in his seat and putting his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry." He muttered, and though it was blatantly obvious that he didn't mean it, Dallas dropped the subject.

Ally finished her burger quickly, then took a long drink of her milkshake. Once everyone was finished eating, they all started talking. Ally was engaged in a fascinating conversation with Charlotte when Tom spoke up.

"Okay, everyone, here's the plan. We're all gonna finish up here, split up to do another hour of shopping or whatever, and then meet back at the car. Then we'll all drive to Connie's. There's a karaoke on tonight and I haven't had a good night out for weeks." He said. There was a chorus of 'sounds good's and the like, but Ally was confused.

"What's Connie's?" she asked Charlotte.

"It's a really cute little bar on the other side of town. We go there once in a while, mostly as an excuse for everyone to drink. Dad has a soft spot for karaoke." She explained briefly. I groaned inwardly, and I think Addison noticed the hesitation.

"Do you not want to come with us, Ally?" she asked. Ally shrugged.

"I'm not too bothered, but it's not really my kinda thing…" she said. Addison smiled, but the disappointment was obvious.

"Well, it's okay, I'm sure we can find something else equally fun to do…"

"No! I mean, I don't mind. I'm really tired, I'd much rather just go to bed. If you guys could just drop me off at the house…" she suggested. Addison smiled.

"Well, Alice and Austin can't come anyway, so they're going to have to go home…although Alice will most likely go back to her friend's house…if you don't mind staying home with Austin, Charlotte could give the two of you a lift back and then bring the car back here." She said. Ally nodded, though she was a little doubtful about being alone with Austin, considering her fiancé hated him and even she didn't exactly warm to him.

"It's fine, I'll probably just go straight to bed anyway." She shrugged. Addison smiled.

"Great! Listen up everyone, here's the plan. Ally doesn't want to come, it's not really her scene, so Charlotte is going to drive her, Austin and possibly Alice home and come back for us all so we can go to Connie's." she announced.

"I'll go back too, then, if Ally's going." Dallas said. Ally shook her head at him. He looked hurt.

"I'm not too mad anymore, Dallas, but you haven't seen your family for nearly five years. You should spend as much time as possible with them while you're here." She said. He looked unconvinced, but eventually he nodded, after a pointed look from his mother.

"Okay. I'll see you later then, Als." He said. Everyone was getting up by now, and he walked around the table hesitantly to hug her goodbye, she pecked him on the cheek and smiled softly.

"Bye baby."

"Bye Dallas." Ally replied. Then she linked arms with Charlotte and they walked off, searching for Alice. Ally frowned when she heard footsteps behind them, until she remembered that Austin was coming with them.

"Great." She muttered under her breath.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Nothing."

"Oh, okay. Do you see Alice anywhere? Oh, wait, I see her. Alice!" Charlotte hollered across the mall, making Ally cover her ears and cringe in embarrassment.

"Could you be a little louder, sis? I don't think they quite heard you in China." Austin muttered sourly. Charlotte looked away from Alice, who was slowly making her way over, to frown at her brother.

"What's got you in such a bad mood?" she asked him.

"Nothing. I just…I don't want to spend another night sat in my room while all you guys are out getting drunk. I wish I was twenty-one." He muttered. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Austin, you never actually stay in your room. You're never home when we get back. Besides, you get drunk all the time." She said. He snorted.

"Actually, I'm always home when you get in. You're all just too out of it to look for me. And sure, I've drank, but I've never been drunk." He admitted.

"Pull the other one, it's got bells on it." she muttered disbelievingly.

"It's true! I haven't!" he protested.

"Whatever. Hey, Alice. We're going home now, are you coming with us?" she asked. Alice nodded.

"Yeah, but Dianna's mom said she would come and pick me up at around six, if that's okay. For a sleepover." She added. Charlotte nodded.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. We're all going out, so Austin and Ally will be the only ones with you at home." She said. Alice frowned.

"Why isn't Ally going with you? I thought she was twenty-one?" Alice asked, confused. Ally smiled at her.

"Yeah, I am, but I don't drink. And I don't do karaoke. Connie's sounds great, but it's not really my kinda thing." She explained to Alice. Alice smiled weakly.

"Cool, I'm glad. I'd rather hang out with a girl that Austin. No offence, Austin. You're just…boring." Ally and Charlotte laughed at Austin's offended expression.

"I'm not boring, I just don't particularly enjoy playing dolly's and make-overs." He muttered. Alice chuckled.

"I'm twelve, not six. I don't play with Dolly's anymore, and I don't do makeovers." She told him.

"Whatever."

The four of them left the mall laughing, Charlotte and Alice throwing insults at Austin, who just stood there and took it, occasionally returning with a witty comeback. Ally smiled, enjoying the way that they could just totally relax around each other and call each other names without taking offence. Sometimes she wished Dallas could be more like that. More easy-going, less serious all the time. Then she smiled at the irony of the situation; she was wishing that her boyfriend could be more like his brother, the guy he hated.

This vacation was just full of surprises.

**Review? Please? For me? :')**


	4. Falling Over You

**Please don't hate me! I know, it's been quite a while since I updated, but you can blame my school and the stupid little elf in my brain that helps me write stories...he has been on strike recently, and only now have I come across inspiration for a new chapter! And here is the end result! I hope it pleaseth thee...:) There's my attempt at quoting Shakespeare...anyway, because you guys have been so patient and I'm in a good mood because of a great grade I got today, i'm going to (hopefully) finish and publish either a new one-shot or another CHAPTER by the end of tonight, so...fingers crossed! :)**

**Again, i am so sorry you had to wait, but it's not as long as some authors take...still, I like to update as frequently as I can, so I do feel guilty! :) **

**If anyone cared, I got an A* grade in my RE homework and I am sooooooo happy with it! Eeeeep! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :(**

Chapter 4

When they got back to the house, Charlotte handed Ally the keys and then she kissed them all on the cheek before hopping back into the car and driving off in the direction of the mall. Ally watched her leave, only turning to make her way down the drive once she was around the corner and there was no way for Ally to change her mind. Sighing, she followed Austin and Alice towards the house. Alice was bouncing up and down, grinning, while Austin looked bored. She tossed him the keys, laughing when he was too distracted and they hit him on the side of the face. He glared at her, rubbing his cheek as he bent down to pick them up.

"That wasn't very nice, Dawson." He muttered, wiping his feet on the doormat. She laughed.

"I was just testing your reflexes. Apparently, you have none." She mocked. He scowled but she could see the slightest glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Alice slid past them both and ran upstairs.

"Alice, wipe your feet!" Austin shouted after her half-heartedly. Ally frowned at him in confusion.

"What?" he asked. She shrugged.

"You just don't strike me as the kind of guy to care about people wiping their feet."

"Well, if the floors get dirty mom has to clean them, and I hate to see mom working." He explained like it was no big deal. She smiled.

"Wow…you know, maybe you're not as bad as I thought." She said.

"Of course I'm not. People seem to judge me straight away, for reasons I cannot fathom, and I'm not too good at first impressions…I wish Dallas didn't hate me so much. It'd be nice to have a big brother closer to my age." He said, and Ally was surprised. Austin seemed so closed off, she could hardly believe he was opening up like this.

"Well, Dallas is a pretty judgemental guy…luckily, most people we know made good impressions. But Charlotte and I figure that maybe…maybe jealousy plays into it too." She said. They were making their way into the lounge, Austin in front, but he turned to look at her questioningly.

"Why would he be jealous?"

"Well, firstly because he felt like you were replacing him, because you had all his old stuff and clothes…but there's this other girl, an old friend of mine that he hated too. Ever since he first met her, he hated her. And she's blonde and good-looking, so maybe…we figured maybe he has a thing against blonde, perfect-looking people. It's just a hunch, but it would make sense. He's pretty insecure about his looks sometimes. Worse than me, even." She explained. She knew that if Dallas found out she was saying these things, he would kill her, but somehow she couldn't seem to stop herself. They were sat down by now, facing each other. She couldn't help but notice that Charlotte was right; despite the age gap, Austin was pretty damn good-looking. Not her type, not at all, but still…it was then that she noticed the arrogant smirk on his face.

"You think I'm perfect-looking?" he asked, eyebrows risen. She refused to blush, instead just shrugging noncommittally.

"Well, yeah, in that blonde rockstar kinda way. You know, typically good-looking. Not really my type, though…" she added at the end. He snorted.

"Ally, I'm everyone's type. I mean, look at me." He said cockily, gesturing top himself. Ally sneered.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little old for you…besides, I prefer shorter, dark haired guys. That's probably why I'm dating your brother."

"Of course, because we all know that nobody would want to date him for his personality." He joked.

"Of course I date him for his personality! Sheesh, who do you think I am? I love Dallas, and I love the way he looks. But even if he was ugly, or he looked like you, as long as he was the same person I'd love him." She said, desperately fighting a blush. How did Austin manage to twist these things and make her sound like the bad guy?

"Come on, don't tell me that you think he's better looking than me."

"Puh-lease, Dallas is a hundred times better looking than you. And in case you hadn't noticed, he's my age!" Austin rolled his eyes.

"You're, what, twenty-one? And he's twenty-three? And I'm eighteen soon enough…so he's only one year closer to your age than I am."

"Yeah, but one year makes a huge difference…why are we even having this conversation right now?" she asked, flustered. Austin smirked when he saw her panicked expression.

"Because you said I was perfect-looking." He said. Ally opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything else to stay. Instead she just got to her feet and turned to walk out. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand close around her wrist.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm leaving."

"Why?"

"Because you're just as cocky and annoying as you were last night. And I don't make a habit of hanging out with cocky, annoying people. Besides, I'm tired and I want to go to bed." She added weakly at the end, running out of steam after the first sentence or so of her rant. Austin let go of her wrist, looking a little hurt.

"Fine, whatever, I was only trying to have a conversation." He muttered. Ally sighed, silently debating the pros and cons of leaving. Pro, she could go to bed and sleep, she wouldn't to talk to this annoying, arrogant guy any longer, and she would avoid embarrassing herself even more. Con, Austin would probably be pissed off, and it would most likely ruin any chance of the two of them getting along as brother and sister-in-law. And even though she knew that it wouldn't matter if she didn't get on with him, considering Dallas himself hated him, she found herself sighing heavily and sitting back down on the armchair. Austin smiled briefly, but then his face was expressionless again and Ally couldn't help but wonder if she had imagined it.

"Why are you staying? I thought you were tired?" he quizzed her.

"I'm not that tired. Besides, your mom probably wouldn't appreciate it if I let you sneak out on my watch."

"You're not my babysitter. I'm not a fucking kid!" He said venomously. _Oh, trust me, I know you're not a kid, _she thought. Then she mentally slapped herself. How could she think something like that? About Dallas's_ brother_? His _seventeen-year-old _brother?

"I know you're not a kid, but you're younger than me, and me being the only responsible adult in the house, I'm assuming it's my job to keep you out of trouble. And from what I'm told, keeping you out of trouble means keeping you in the house. Which is what I'll do, unless your mom says otherwise." She shrugged. He scowled, slumping in the chair he was sat on.

"You're Charlotte's age. I don't let Charlotte boss me around. And she's my _sister._" He muttered. She smirked, knowing she finally had the upper hand.

"Well, I'm not exactly holding you down, am I? You could leave if you wanted to…I'm just telling you not to." She shrugged. He opened his mouth to reply but, like Ally earlier, couldn't think of anything to say. Instead he shut up, choosing to glare at her instead. Austin Moon was not the kind of guy to accept being 'bested' gracefully.

After about fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence, they both jumped at the sound of the doorbell.

"Alice! Your friend's mom is here!" Austin yelled. Ally heard a thump and the footsteps across the hallway and down the stairs, smiling amusedly when Alice threw the door open enthusiastically.

"Hi, Mrs Marshall. Is Debby with you?" she asked.

"She's waiting in the car. I just wanted to speak to your mom for a second." She said.

"Well, my mom isn't here, but you can talk to my sister, Ally." She said. Ally frowned, shocked. Alice was already calling her a sister?

"I thought your sister was called Charlotte?" the mom said suspiciously.

"Well, Ally's my sister-in-law, but she's practically my sister. Austin's here too, if you want to speak to him." She said. Ally heard more footsteps as Alice led the woman into the lounge.

"Isn't Dallas here?"

"No, he isn't. He's with Tom, Addison, Charlotte and Graham. They went out." Ally explained. The woman frowned.

"Why aren't you with them?" she asked, looking between them both suspiciously. Ally found herself blushing.

"Austin is too young and I don't drink, so we didn't go." Ally informed the woman tightly. She didn't really warm to this woman, and it had a lot to do with the way she was looking at them both, eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure Dallas is okay with this…?"

"Why wouldn't he be? I'm just looking after his little brother and sister."

"Surely Austin is old enough to look after himself and Alice?"

"Oh, quit with the inquisition! I just wanted Alice to leave already so I can go take a nap! I didn't sleep much last night and I have a pounding headache!" Ally managed to refrain from actually shouting at the woman, but her voice was probably a little louder than it should have been. The woman smiled, though.

"Ah, I see. Young lovers…I understand why you're tired. I remember the days when I was your age…you go get your rest now. Wouldn't want you to be too tired tonight…" she said suggestively. Ally felt her face flame, and she averted her eyes.

"Erm…yeah. Well, if you don't mind, I'd better get to bed as soon as possible. Alice should be down here with her stuff in a second…do you have Addison's cell number? I'm not sure what time she wanted to pick Alice up tomorrow…"

"Yes, I have her number, don't you worry. We'll sort it out. Tell the others I said hi!" she said, smiling warmly at Austin. Then she waved goodbye and walked out. Ally let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. Alice poked her head around the door to say a hurried goodbye, and then she was gone.

"Wow…that was awkward." Austin said, sounding amused. Ally glared at him.

"That was beyond awkward." She muttered. He laughed.

"It wasn't that bad…until she started talking about you having sex with Dallas. That was when I started feeling uncomfortable." He said, shuddering a little.

"Trust me, you weren't the only one."

"Don't worry about it, that was Tanya. She moved here with her family from Orange County when her husband gambled away the family fortune. She refuses to accept that she's not rich anymore, and I'm not surprised. When a person lives in the OC for as long as she did, the stick up their ass is in much too deep to remove." He joked. Ally laughed despite herself.

"Wow, I guess she did seem kinda stuck up…now I know why."

"Yeah, but her husband's alright. When they moved in they threw a big housewarming party. I got forced into going and I somehow managed to have a conversation with him. He kept talking about Golf and Poker, but he was an okay guy. Definitely not as stuck up as his wife." He shrugged.

"Who does she think she is, though, really? She was acting like she thought we were up to something…she doesn't even know me." Ally muttered. Austin chuckled.

"Yeah, but she knows me. At least, she knows my reputation. It's not surprising she was suspicious. According to the rumours, I've slept with everybody." He said.

"Yeah, well, you probably have." She muttered. He put a hand on his chest, faking a look of pain.

"Wow, Ally, that hurts! Of course I haven't slept with everyone! Just the good-looking girls. The ones my age. Although, I think I did hook up with a twenty-four year old a few weeks ago…"

"Stop! Please, I seriously _don't _want to hear about your sex life."

"Yeah, 'cause it makes you jealous, right?"

"Sure it does. I always get jealous when I hear seventeen-year-olds talk about sex." She muttered sarcastically.

"I'm almost eighteen."

"Almost being the operative word. Right now, you're seventeen, and whether you're seventeen or twenty-see, I do not want to talk to you about sex." She said, moving to walk out the door.

"Well, I know you don't want to _talk _to me about sex…" he said suggestively. Ally didn't even dignify that with a response. She simply scoffed and walked out.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Ally? Ally?" Ally groaned and rolled over, burying her head in the pillow. Dallas sighed.

"Ally, come on, wake up! I want to get in bed." He said, slurring his words slightly. He hadn't drunk too much, he was too busy thinking about Ally and feeling guilty about what he said to her. When all she did was kick him in the side and start snoring softly, he gave up. Grabbing a spare blanket, he quietly made his way downstairs. The last thing he expected to see was his brother sat with his back against the couch, pillow hugged to his chest as he slept.

Dallas was confused. Austin had his own bedroom, so why was he down here? He stood in the doorway for a few minutes, debating whether or not to wake him up.

"Why are you watching me sleep?" Dallas jumped when Austin spoke. He turned to look at him, cautious and confused, but not angry.

"I was trying to decide whether I should wake you up or not." He said honestly. Austin's frown deepened.

"Why?"

"Because Ally's taking up the whole bed and she won't wake up, so I'm going to have to spend the night on the couch…I couldn't decide whether I should just leave you there or make you go to bed. Why are you down here anyway?"

"Oh…I was watching TV and I fell asleep." He muttered.

"Erm, Austin…the TV isn't on." Dallas pointed out. Austin nodded, sighing.

"Okay, that was a lie, and a really bad one too. Look, the truth is…I was thinking." He admitted, looking embarrassed. Dallas was tired of standing so he made his way over to sit on the couch opposite his brother.

"About what?"

"About everything. I just feel like…I feel like people hear a few things about me and they judge me; assume I'm a jerk and a player. I mean, I guess I am in a way, but I'm not as bad as people think. I know I stress mom and dad out, but I would never do anything stupid and I don't mean to hurt them. I just…I can't stand to be in the house sometimes. I feel like an outsider. I know Alice and Charlotte were adopted too, but they've been here longer…and they actually fit in. I feel like…like mom and dad are using me to replace you. They miss having a son around, so they got me. I feel like they expect me to be like you and Graham…which I'm not. I'm not smart, and I don't want to be a lawyer or whatever. I just want to be me. And since I can't be me here…I like to go out, find places where I can be me. I don't go out drinking every night, Dallas. I go out partying, performing. I have a gig at a club called Sparky's Every Tuesday night, when I perform for a crowd." He realised he was rambling and cut himself off, not wanting to say anymore in case it angered Dallas. Dallas just groaned and rested his head in his hands.

"Man, I've been a right dickhead, haven't I?" those were the last words Austin ever would have expected to come out of Dallas's mouth right then. He just blinked at him, wondering if he had heard him wrong. Eventually he managed to stutter out a "What?"

"From the day I first met you, I hated you. I had no reason to. It wasn't like you had asked for all my stuff, and I shouldn't have begrudged you it all. I mean, it wasn't like I wanted it. But the way you'd been given my room and my clothes….I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't it. So I flipped, and I got mad at you, and mom, dad, Charlotte, Alice and Graham all took your side. That was why I hated you; I felt like they were replacing me too. But that was stupid; they love you because you're their son, and if you just tell them how you feel about everything, I'm sure they will sort it out. And…I guess I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was a jerk, and I hope we can put that all behind us and just be brothers." It took a lot for Dallas to say that, but once he had gotten it out, he knew it was the right thing to do.

Austin looked sceptical for a second, but then smiled a little.

"For real?" he asked. Dallas nodded.

"Yeah." Austin grinned and held out his hand for a fist bump. Dallas frowned, confused, and Austin chuckled.

"Sorry. I forgot you're old." He joked. Dallas faked offence.

"Twenty-three is not old."

"It is to a seventeen-year-old." Austin argued. Dallas laughed.

"Touché. So…what did you do tonight?" Dallas asked him. He shrugged.

"Well, when we got in I talked to Ally for a while…oh, and then Tanya got here. Ally was a little…shocked." He grinned. Dallas nodded, smiling.

"I'm not surprised…there aren't many people like Tanya back in Miami."

"There aren't many people like Tanya in the _world. _She's pretty unique…"

"And terrifying."

"Yeah, very. And she kind of brought up an awkward subject…which Ally was pretty embarrassed about." He said, chuckling at the memory of Ally's red face. Dallas frowned in confusion.

"What awkward subject?"

"Well, erm…Ally said she didn't sleep last night and she was tired, and Tanya said something about 'young lovers' and stuff…" Dallas felt his face burning and he looked down. Austin scoffed.

"Sheesh, Dallas, you don't need to be embarrassed about it. It's not like you're a kid anymore."

"Yeah, I guess…" Dallas replied, not particularly wanting to tell Austin that he and Ally hadn't actually had sex yet.

"Come on, you should really get some sleep. I'm going to bed." He said, stretching and yawning hugely.

"Okay then. Night." Dallas said. Austin frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just…I don't know if Ally was really sleeping, or if she just didn't want me in the bed." He admitted. Austin sighed and sat down.

"I'm not going to lie…what you said was beyond harsh. I didn't understand at the time but mom told me what happened to her. If I were her, I wouldn't want to sleep with you either. But she'll get over it. You've been together for five years, Dallas. This can't be your first fight."

"Actually, it kind of is." He muttered.

"How is that even possible? The longest relationship I've ever had was a month, and we fought all the time!" Austin said incredulously. Dallas shrugged.

"I guess we just get along really well. We always agree on everything."

"Well, for your first fight, that was pretty rough. But don't worry, there is a plus side to fighting."

"What plus side?"

"Make –up sex." He said, grinning cheekily.

"Go to bed Austin." Dallas sighed, shaking his head at his brother.

"Hey! What's up with you?"

"Nothing, but you're seventeen, Austin. You're too young to know about make-up-sex…well, sex in general!"

"Huh?"

"That came out wrong. I meant you're too young to be having…ugh; I am _not _having this conversation with you right now. I'm too tired. Just go to bed." Austin laughed, shaking his head.

"I'm not some innocent, goody-two-shoes seventeen year old, bro." he said. Dallas gagged.

"I'm _way _too tired for this conversation. Seriously, just go to bed before I punch you." He said. Austin laughed one more time and left the room.

When Dallas eventually fell asleep that night, he dreamt of Ally and the fight that they had. He dreamt that she left him because of it, and it was the worst nightmare he had ever had.

Ally, on the other hand, didn't dream at all. In fact, she had the best night's sleep she had had for a while.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Dallas!" Ally shouted, jumping backwards when her fiancé jolted upright, looking around in a panic. Then he saw her and relaxed, smiling as he yawned and stretched.

"Hey Ally. How are you?" he asked, getting to his feet and holding his arms out, hoping for a hug. She rolled her eyes and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. He smiled and relaxed, relieved that she didn't seem to still be angry with him.

"I'm great. I slept so good last night; I swear I've never had such a great night's sleep! The only bad thing was waking up in the morning and not having you beside me. It sounds corny, but it's true. I love you Dallas, and I swear everything you said yesterday is completely forgotten about." She smiled. He grinned, kissing her again.

"Great, because I love you too and I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm so, so sorry about everything I said, and I swear I didn't mean it, it just popped out and-"

"Dallas, stop! I told you, it's forgotten. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" she reassured him. He nodded, smiling as he kissed her again.

"Okay, I hate to break you two lovebirds up, but we've got to go." Austin said, walking into the room swinging a set of keys around his finger. Ally pulled away from Dallas, standing in front of him. She was worried that Dallas would blow up, so was more than surprised when Dallas grinned and took her hand, pulling her out of the room and high-fiving his brother on the way out. She was so shocked, in fact, that she was frozen in place and when Dallas tried to drag her out she stumbled and fell…right into Austin.

"Crap!" he shouted, grabbing Ally's arms and trying to catching his balance. Dallas let go of Ally's hand so that he wouldn't fall, causing Ally to grab Austin's shirt sleeve. This only helped to unbalance Austin further, making him fall backwards and thump down onto the floor, Ally on top of him. Ally gasped, shutting her eyes and bracing herself for the impact.

Her eyes flew open again when she felt Austin's eyes close around her, and suddenly she was on top of him, almost straddling him, and their faces were _so close _and in that moment it would have been so easy for her to forget that he was _seventeen _and that he was her _fiancé's brother. _She knew, deep down, that it was completely and utterly wrong. But right then, she felt like her entire body was on fire and her breathing quickened and she desperately wanted to kiss , the worst thing of all?

Austin felt exactly the same.

**Oooooooh...almost, but not quite, Auslly, methinks. Let me know what you thought in a kind, well-thought out review! Joking, i don;t care if it;s just a word, but please please please review! :D**


	5. Going to the Fair

**Here you go, as promised, a brand new chapter ALREADY! :0 **

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews on last chapter, they really made my day! :D **

**Hope this chapter meets your expectations...kind of a filler, actually, but theres a little Auslly...:)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :(**

Chapter 5

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" Ally said loudly after a few seconds of silence. She struggled to get to her feet, Dallas grabbing her arm to help her up. Austin stayed on the ground for another few seconds, closing his eyes and trying to control his rapid breathing. If anyone had asked, he would have told them he was I pain. But he knew the real reason had more to do with Ally being on top of him than anything else.

"It's okay, Ally, it wasn't your fault." Dallas reassured her. She bit her lip, looking down at Austin apologetically. Eventually he sighed and got to his feet, stumbling a little. Ally knew that she would be stumbling too if Dallas didn't have an arm around her waist, and she silently thanked the lord for that. Austin could say he was hurt, but she had no excuse to be unsteady on her feet.

"Yeah, Ally, don't worry. I'm fine." Austin said, holding out his arms as if to prove that he was unharmed. Ally smiled in relief, resisting the urge to look him over. She knew that if she did, it wouldn't be purely to check he wasn't hurt…

"Anyway, Austin, where are we going?" asked Dallas, grabbing Ally's hand and following Austin out the door.

"Well, as part of Ally's introduction to Dallas or whatever, we're going to the fair." He said. Ally grinned; it may be childish, but she always loved fairs. **(I don't know what kind of stuff they have in Dallas, so this is all just made up, but just pretend like it's real.)**

"Really? Oh my God, I love the fair!" she exclaimed. Dallas frowned.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do." She said, good mood soured a little by the fact that her fiancé didn't know that she loved it. Austin shook his head in disbelief, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to stir things up between him and Dallas again.

When they got to the car, Addison, Alice, Charlotte and Tom were already there.

"Graham didn't want to come. He's in one of his moods." Addison said, shrugging. Ally smiled.

"I don't mind this is going to be great!" she said happily. Dallas let go of her hand so that he could get into the car that Tom was driving. Addison was in the passenger seat, with Alice and Charlotte in the back. Ally frowned.

"How am I getting there?" she asked.

"Well, I guess Austin could drive you, or you could follow us." Addison said. Dallas shook his head, moving to get out of the car.

"No, it's fine, Austin can go in this car and Ally and I will go together."

"No!" shouted Addison. Ally and Dallas frowned, but everyone else was looking a little panicked.

"Why?" asked Dallas.

"Because, erm…Charlotte needs to talk to you about something." Said Addison, eyes wide, trying to send a message to her son without saying anything. Dallas must have understood, because he closed the door and put his seatbelt back on.

"Oka, I guess I have to talk to my sister. Do you mind going with Austin? I know he's annoying, but…" Ally smiled, still confused, but not wanting to stir things up.

"It's fine, honestly. I'll see you when we get there." She said, leaning in through the car window to kiss him before turning around and heading towards her own car.

"Wait, Ally, where are you going?" Austin called after her.

"My car…"

"Whoa, no, we're going in my car."

"No, we're not."

"But I'm driving, and I wanna drive my own car."

"No, I'm driving. I'm older, therefore I get to drive."

"But I'm a guy, therefore I get to drive."

"That's sexist."

"That's ageist."

"Oh just shut up and get in the car, or you can stay here." She muttered, slamming the driver's side door shut behind her. He rolled his eyes but got into the car, slamming the door behind him although Ally could tell he wasn't really that mad.

"Okay, some ground rules for my car; no eating. No drinking anything sticky or that will stain. No gum. And definitely no touching the stereo. Even Dallas isn't allowed to touch the stereo." She warned. He sighed, nodding.

"Whatever. But if you put on any of that crappy, girly pop I swear I'm going to die." He said. She scoffed, starting the car and pulling out of the drive, following Tom's car.

"Please, that's the stuff Dallas likes. That's why he doesn't touch the stereo." She said, pressing a button on the stereo. Austin grinned as the song 'Rockstar' started playing.

"I'm through with standing in line to clubs we'll never get in, it's like the bottom of the ninth and I'm never gonna win. This life hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be." Austin sang along.

"Tell me what you want." Ally piped up in a ridiculously low-pitched voice. Austin snorted, and then they both joined in with the rest of the song. By the time it was over, Ally had almost driven off the road twice and they were both unable to stop laughing.

"I love that song, it's so fun!" she said, finally managing to stop laughing. Austin nodded in agreement.

"What else have you got?" he asked.

They spent the rest of the journey rocking out to songs they were surprised to find they both liked. Ally couldn't help but feel a tad bitter towards Dallas; he hated this kind of music, and would never sing along and have fun the way Austin did. She would never say it aloud, but right then she wished that Dallas cold be more like his brother.

When Austin said they were nearly there, Ally turned off the radio.

"So…any idea why your mom wanted Dallas in the other car?" she asked. Austin shrugged, looking away. She knew he was lying.

"Austin…" she said warningly. He sighed.

"Okay, promise you won't tell them I said anything."

"I promise."

"They're planning your wedding." He said. Ally's foot stamped on the brake, sending them both flying forwards, saved from going through the window but their seatbelts.

"Shit! Ally! What the hell?" Austin shouted, undoing the seatbelt and climbing out of the car. Ally didn't respond, she just sat there, frozen in shock.

"Ally? Ally! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" he shouted, running round to the driver's side to open the door. She managed to shake her head slowly, and he relaxed slightly.

"What happened, Ally?"

"I, erm…I'm sorry. I just….they're _planning _my _wedding? _Without _me?" _Austin only shrugged in response.

"Dallas said you'd love it. He said you hated planning things, that you'd prefer to be surprised."

"He did? What the hell is wrong with him? He knows I would never want _someone else _to plan my _wedding._ At least, he should know that. He's my fiancé; he's supposed to know me better than that! I'm going to kill him!" Austin was a little afraid; he'd seen girls angry like this before, but they were all angry at him. He knew how to deal with that. But this…a girl who was angry with someone else? Let alone his perfect big brother? He had no idea.

"Erm…is there anything I can do?" he asked. She nodded.

"You can drive me back to the house. Please. I am so not in the mood for the fair right now." She muttered, getting out of the car.

"Should I call them?"

"No. I'll text Dallas. Wait until we get back and then call them. I need some time to think."

"Hey, Ally, I'm sorry I ruined your day. If I knew you would be so upset about it I wouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm glad you did. Could you imagine if nobody had told me and I had gone to my wedding not knowing about it? It would have been a disaster." She sighed.

"I guess…Come on, then, get in the car and we can go home." He said. She smiled gratefully, jogging round to the front seat and getting in.

**Got a little held up, but we'll be there soon. Don't wait for us, go have fun and we'll find you in a bit. **

She sent the text and stared at her phone until it buzzed with a reply.

**Okay, will do. Hurry, though. I can't have much fun without my girl. Love you! **

She didn't even bother responding; she knew she would say something she'd regret. Truthfully, she was kinda hoping he would tell her about it, say he had made a mistake, but he hadn't. He honestly thought she would like a 'surprise wedding'.

The journey home was spent in silence, since Ally had given herself a headache with the sudden braking and the anger and she didn't want to listen to any music. Austin was happy to keep quiet, since he had a bad feeling that if they started talking things would get awkward. When they finally got back Ally unlocked her phone to find that she had seven texts from Dallas. The latest one, from two minutes ago, said;

**Ally, if you haven't replied or met up with us in the next ten minutes, we're leaving.**

She smiled.

"What's got you so happy?"

"They're leaving in just under ten minutes, which means I have over half an hour to myself." She sighed. Austin frowned.

"Well, you're not exactly by yourself…I'm here." He said a little hurt. He did a good job of hiding the hurt, though, and Ally didn't pick up on it.

"Yeah, but I assumed you would go do your own thing…a seventeen-year-old guy has to have something better to do on a Friday night than hang out with his old sister-in-law." She joked.

"You're not old…" he muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're right, I'm going upstairs. See you later." He said quickly, before bounding up the staircase towards his bedroom. Ally sighed. She had a feeling she had upset him, or annoyed him, but she couldn't quite figure out why. Deciding it didn't matter, that he would get over it, she made her own way up the stairs to the guest bedroom. On her way, she heard a familiar noise and froze. The bathroom door was locked and she could hear the shower running. Usually it wouldn't have mattered, but Austin was the only other person in the house and for some reason unbeknownst to her, her heartbeat sped up and her breathing became more than a little sporadic. She found herself frozen, unable to move, and unbelievably turned on at the thought of Austin in the shower.

After what felt like hours, but could have only been a minute or two, the shower shut off and she heard the shower door open. Realising how creepy and _wrong _she was being, she gasped and sprinted into her bedroom, shutting the door softly before jumping onto the bed and burying her face in the pillows, trying in vain to control her breathing. About a minute later it was more or less back to normal; that was, until she heard a knock at the door. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she called out;

"What?"

"Erm, sorry…I just wondered if I could, erm…does Dallas have any gel?" he asked. Ally blushed scarlet before realising what he meant.

"You mean hair gel, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, what else would I mean?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Nothing, never mind…I think he has some, hang on." She muttered just loud enough for him to hear, and she started searching through the drawers. Eventually she found a small tub, and went over to the bedroom door to open it and hand it to Austin. She didn't quite manage that, however, because the minute she opened the door she froze, dropping the tub onto the floor. Austin jumped back, staring at the tub for a few seconds. Ally used these seconds to look him over. His stomach was perfectly toned, his abs clearly defined but he didn't look like one of those guys that spent every spare moment at the gym. His skin was smooth and blemish free, and her breath hitched when she saw the prominent 'V' shape leading to his, erm…you know…that was just about covered by a dangerously low-hanging towel. When he looked up at her, confused, she met his eyes. He smirked then, and she felt a furious blush take over.

"Like what you see?" he asked. She glared at him, suddenly angry. It wasn't her fault she was looking; Dallas was good-looking, but his stomach was smooth and flat, no six-pack to speak of, and he just didn't have the outright sex appeal his younger brother had. Of course she would _look._ Especially when confronted with him almost _naked._ But he had no right to be cocky about it.

"Not particularly, no." she retorted. Okay, that was a lie, but lately she had become a pretty damn good liar. Austin looked slightly hurt for a second, but then he was back to his usual arrogance.

"Sure you don't…that's why you dropped the hair gel on the floor…and why your face is so red. Face it, you were _checking me out."_ He said, chuckling. She scowled.

"Sure, because I love to check out little boys."

"I'm not a little boy, Ally. I think we both know you don't see me as a little boy…"

"Fine, maybe I don't, but still…I'm not cougar. I was just surprised, I didn't realise you were in the shower." She shrugged, silently thanking God that her lying skills had improved.

"Oh really? Well, if that's the case, you won't mind if I do this…" he whispered, stepping closer to her. She stepped back automatically, but his hand on her wrist stopped her. She couldn't deny the heat that just that simple touch had brought about. She shivered involuntarily, and Austin steeped even closer, so that there was barely any space between their bodies. Despite Ally being older, Austin had almost a foot on her, and she couldn't deny that she found it attractive. Dallas was little taller than her, but she had always liked really tall guys...they made her feel protected. Not that Austin was making her feel at all protected right then. The things he was making her feel…let's just say, they definitely weren't things that her _fiancé's little brother _should be making her feel.

"I-I do mind, actually. You're invading my p-personal space." She muttered, surprised that her voice was as steady as it was. Austin chuckled and she very nearly shivered again. If just a sound could do that to her…

"Are you sure? Because I don't think you mind…at…all…" he whispered, moving his face closer. She knew it was beyond wrong, she knew she would hate herself for it, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Her eyes widened and she stopped breathing as his face inched closer, and closer…

"Ally!" they sprang apart as Dallas yelled her name. Austin looked around, dazed. Ally was still frozen, but at the sound of feet running up the stairs she leapt into action. Shoving Austin out of the room, she bent down and picked up the hair gel, tossing it at him carelessly. He nodded in thanks, holding the towel around his waist as he sprinted down the hall, turning the corner just as Dallas reached the top of the stairs. He smiled in relief when he saw Ally, running over and pulling her into a hug. She refused to hug back, however, and after a few seconds he pulled away, frowning.

"What's wrong, Ally? Why are you home?" he asked.

"Why are you home?"

"When I told you we were going to leave in ten minutes, we were actually already on the way back. I just didn't want to ring any bells in case you had been kidnapped or something." He said. She scoffed, pushing him away from her and marching back into their room. Dallas followed like a little lost puppy.

"Ally? Why are you angry? Ally!" he asked, frustrated. She sighed, sitting on the bed and laying her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down.

"I'm angry because…screw this, you should know why I'm fucking angry! We've been together for _five years, _it shouldn't be that hard for you to figure out!" she yelled. Dallas was shocked; he had never heard Ally curse before. Hell, even Ally was shocked. She _never _cursed. Ever.

"Well, I don't…look, if this is just a serious case of PMS, I don't mind giving you some space but…I have no idea what I've done." He said. She bristled at the PMS comment, but decided to let it slide.

"You were planning our _wedding. _You were going to _surprise _me. Dallas, I have been talking about our wedding since we'd been together for a year. You know how much it means to me to be able to plan my own wedding. We decided we wanted a long engagement so, as much as I hated to, I left the wedding catalogues alone, and then you decide to start planning it _without me?" _her voice got louder with every word until she was shouting again. Dallas winced.

"Oh. Wait, Austin _told _you?" he asked, looking peeved. Not wanting Dallas to be mad at Austin again, she shook her head.

"I tortured it out of him. Seriously, Dallas? You're supposed to know me! Why am I even marrying you if you don't know me well enough to try planning my wedding _without me?" _she yelled. Dallas froze.

"Y-you don't mean that, right? You're not really going to call off the engagement because of this?" he asked, honestly worried. He had never seen Ally so mad.

"I don't even know right now, Dallas. I just can't get over it. Tell me honestly; did you think this was what I wanted? Did you think I would _like _this?" she asked, voice strained. She could barely see him through the tears on her face, but she could practically smell the guilt coming from him.

"I thought you could do with a break. I thought you would appreciate some time to just relax while someone else did all the hard work for once in your life." He muttered.

"Dallas, you know that's not the way I am. I can't sit back and relax. And I certainly don't want someone else planning my entire wedding for me. You should have known that."

"Come on, Ally, I was just trying to be a good fiancé."

"A good fiancé would know me well enough not to make such a stupid mistake. I have to go." She finished, striding out of the room before he could say anything more.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Two hours later, Ally was curled up on the bench at the bottom of the garden, staring up at the clear blue sky. There were no clouds and it was the most beautiful colour blue she had ever seen. She'd been there for over an hour and a half and her butt was beginning to go numb, but she couldn't bring herself to go back inside and face Dallas. No doubt everyone had heard their fight, and she didn't want a pity party, which she knew she was going to get.

"Ally?" she jumped to her feet, stumbling a little. Austin stared at her, worried.

"Sheesh, Austin, you scared me." She hissed, sitting back down. He chuckled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to. Look, erm…I heard the fight." She sighed.

"I don't want your pity. This was Dallas's fuck up and I swear, if anybody tries to apologise but him, I am going to explode." She muttered.

"Good, because I wasn't planning to say sorry. I was planning to say that my brother is an idiot, but you should forgive him." He said. She scoffed, turning away.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"Because he loves you. I mean, I personally never really understood love. I mean with my parents, sure. But I always thought love was something that died out along with the Beatles and poodle skirts. But I see the way he looks at you…and trust me; there is nothing dead about that. Come on, listen to me! I'm actually sounding mushy! And Austin Moon does not do 'mushy'. But seriously, Ally. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone fucks up. Sometimes those fuck-ups are meaningless, and sometimes they mean a whole lot. But if you never learn to get past them, you'll never be happy." Ally smiled softly, feeling herself tear up.

"You know, for a seventeen year old guy, you sure know a lot about love."

"Yeah, well, I watch a lot of TV…and I have two sisters." He shrugged. She chuckled.

"Do you really think I should forgive him, though? Do you think I overreacted?"

"Yeah, you should forgive him, but not right away. Make him wait for it. Maybe then he'll learn to appreciate what he has." He shrugged. Ally smiled.

"How long for?"

"A day or so, I guess." He shrugged. She sighed.

"Well, what am I supposed to do until then? I can't go back in there and make things awkward. But there's nothing I can do alone, since I'm new to Dallas." She sighed. He grinned mischievously.

"Well…you've had the 'official' tour of Dallas…how about I take you on the real tour?" he offered. She frowned, a little cautious about the look on his face.

"I don't know…what does this 'real tour' involve, exactly?" she asked. He smirked.

"I'll just take you around town, show you some of the best places to hang out, the good clubs. Maybe I'll introduce you to some people." He shrugged. She debated it silently for a second. On the plus side, she would be away from Dallas for a day, and she would maybe get a better understanding of the way she felt about Austin. On the other hand, she would possibly get a better understanding of the way she felt about Austin…so that could be good and bad.

"Come on, Ally. Be adventurous. Take a risk."

"I just don't want Dallas to think I've run off and done something stupid."

"Text him then. You know you want to, Ally. This would be good for you. Get away from al the serious stuff. Just have fun, for once." He said. Every word tempted her, and all it took was a pleading look from the blonde and she was decided.

"Fine. Let's go. Actually, can you go grab my bag? It's on the dresser in our room." She asked him. He grinned and nodded, before turning to jog back into the house. She rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm, trying her best not to think about why he was so excited. But she couldn't help it.

Why did he want her to go sp badly? Why would he want to spend any time at all with her when he could spend it with his friends or, erm…girlfriends…? Did he feel sorry for her? Did he, somehow, _want _to spend time with her?

She didn't have long to think about it, though, because before she knew it Austin was back with her bag, and they were getting into his car.

**I'm going out somewhere, I'll see you later. Don't try to call me, I won't pick up. **

She texted Dallas before turning off her phone. She was planning on actually having fun, and she wasn't going to let anything ruin that.

**Please review! :D**


	6. A Day out with Austin

**Okay, so, i swear to God I wasn't planning to update so soon but I got so many AMAZING reviews that I just had to, to say thank you! Keep reviewing like this and I will update every night...every other night at the least ;) **

**Okay, so today in school I literally did five whole hours of English, two of which was an exam and the other three was preparation for another exam. So to be perfectly honest, I am pooped. So if this chapter sucks, blame my school. I hope it doesn't though!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :(**

Chapter 6

Ally grinned, hands in the air, keeping her mouth tightly shut to keep from swallowing any bugs. Austin chuckled, glancing up at her and almost driving off the road. Ally stumbled, grabbing the edges of the sunroof and squealing slightly.

"Sorry!" he called up to her, but she didn't hear him over the wind rushing past her ears. After a minute or so she was getting too cold so she ducked back into the car, grinning like a lunatic. Austin took one look at her and had to pull the car over, he was laughing so hard. She folded her arms and glared at him.

"What on Earth is so funny?" she asked. He managed to cough out a "You!" before dissolving into more giggles.

She frowned, glancing into the mirror, and understood perfectly. Her hair was a mess, sticking up everywhere and full of leaves and other things she didn't want to think about. And her shirt was rumpled too, although it was the hair Austin was laughing at. She pouted, starting to pull leaves and dirt out of her hair. Austin finally managed to stop laughing, wiping tears from his eyes and leaning over to help her clear her hair.

"I'm sorry I was laughing, Ally, but you just looked so funny." He said. She smiled, shrugging.

"I don't care. Just-ow! Careful!" she complained as he tugged at one particularly stubborn leaf and yanked out a chunk of hair. He grimaced, hating to hurt her, and apologised.

They sat there for a couple of minutes pulling all the leaves from her hair.

"I think you're done. Oh, wait, one more." Austin said, reaching out to pull a seemingly-easy one out. He accidentally yanked her hair again, and she whipped her head around, leaving them with their faces much too close for comfort. She made the mistake of looking at him, and their eyes met. He gulped, feeling the blood rush to his face as he breathed in her scent. He knew he shouldn't be feeling this way about his brother's girl, but she was just so…intoxicating. They didn't lean in, just stayed where they were for a few minutes, until a car drove past and beeped, making them jump apart. Ally blushed, looking down at her lap and playing with her fingers. Austin just coughed awkwardly and started the engine. They drove the rest of the way to wherever they were going in silence.

When they got there, Ally was surprised to see it was an average-looking building, a little tattered but judging by the amount of cars outside, well used. The sign above the door said 'Thompson's Youth Centre', and she smiled.

"Wow." She muttered. Austin looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"It's not exactly impressive…" he said. She chuckled.

"No, I know, it's just…I wasn't expecting you to bring me to a Youth Centre. I was expecting some kind of club, or a hangout for the 'bad kids'." She said, shrugging. He laughed.

"I'm not a bad guy, Ally. And I'm not a 'kid' at all. I mean, I'm going to show you the good clubs later, but none of them are open at three o'clock." He told her. She blushed a little in embarrassment and nodded.

"Right, sorry, didn't think. So, what is this place exactly?" she asked. He beamed.

"Oh, you'll love it. I used to come here every day after school until I was adopted by the Cipriano's. I used to live just down the road, there. Then everything happened, and I couldn't come here every day anymore because it's too far away. But I still come down here every so often to help out, because this place pretty much saved my life when I was younger and I wanted to help out. They're always short on staff and any volunteers are a Godsend to them." He explained as they walked into the building. Ally looked around and grinned at the homey, excited atmosphere of the place. There were kids of all ages running around, doing things like painting, ping pong, colouring. There were a few computers on a table at the back, which were taken up by a few girls that looked about fourteen.

"Austin!" a greying man in his mid-forties walked over, holding his arms out for a hug from Austin. Austin smiled at him and hugged him, then turned to me.

"Bubba, this is Ally. Ally, Bubba. Bubba's been here since before I even knew this place existed, and he's one of the main reasons I stayed." He said, looking at the old man fondly. Ally smiled, holding out her hand for Bubba to shake.

"So, Austin, finally got yourself a nice girlfriend?" Bubba aske, looking pointedly between them. Ally blushed and shook her head. Austin just laughed.

"I wish. Nah, this is Ally, Dallas's fiancée." He said. Bubba frowned.

"Dallas…the brother that hates you?" he asked. Austin shook his head.

"Well, yeah, him, but he doesn't hate me anymore. We talked it out and we're sorted."

"So, why is his fiancée here without him?"

"Well, Ally and Dallas had a fight, and she needed to get out of the house, so I brought her along." Austin shrugged. Bubba smiled; seemingly satisfied with the answers he'd been given, and ruffled Austin's hair.

"Well, if you wanna do what you normally do, Ally can help if she wants. I'll see you around." He said, smiling at the younger boy proudly before walking off. Austin grinned, grabbing ally's hand.

"What are we doing?" she asked as he dragged her through a doorway into another room.

"We're going to the music room." He said. She brightened; Ally had always loved music, all kinds.

"Wait…this pace doesn't seem like the type to have a music room…" she said. He shrugged.

"_Well_, it's just a room at the back, it's pretty much soundproof if you close all the windows and the door, and a while back this nice rich guy donated a load of instruments. There's a guitar, drum kit, bass guitar, a few trumpets, two keyboards and a xylophone. It's not much, but the kids have a blast. I help teach them some songs and stuff when I come over." He explained. She smiled.

"I can help with that…I am a music teacher, after all." She joked. He chuckled, before looking down at her questioningly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah…did you not know?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Mom told me you were a teacher at some point, but I never knew you taught music. That's so cool! I really wanna be a music teacher!" he said excitedly. Ally smiled.

"Whoa, calm down. It's actually not as great as you'd think. Teaching a bunch of annoying kids who don't even care how to play a musical instrument is one of the hardest things in the world." She said. His face fell slightly.

"Oh…I don't understand. How can a kid _not care _about playing an instrument?" he asked, incredulous. She laughed.

"Some kids just don't appreciate the arts, I guess. To be fair, when it comes to the guitar, they all love it. But show them a keyboard, or a trumpet, and they run a mile."

"Well, that's stupid. But you don't have to worry about that here. The kids here would do anything to get ahead in life, to be good at something that not everybody else is good at. They'll love for you to teach them." He reassured her. She smiled, looking around as he pushed open the door to the music room. There were about five kids in there, four boys and one skinny, dark-haired girl in the corner. From where Ally was stood, the girl looked about twelve but when she looked at her she realised that she was much older, closer to sixteen.

"Hey guys! I'm Austin and this is my friend, Ally. We're here to help you out, if you're interested." He said, smiling welcomingly. The boys eyed them both warily, but the girl walked over, grinning.

"Can you play 'One More Night'?" she asked eagerly. Austin frowned, not sure what it was, but Ally nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! That song is amazing!" she exclaimed. The girl grinned and gestured for ally to follow her across the room, where they sat down and Ally started showing her the chords. Austin watched her, smiling at how easily she managed to fit in, and then turned to the boys.

"Okay, guys, so how about this; one of you goes over there and helps Ally and, erm…"

"Monica." a tall guy cut in. Austin smiled gratefully.

"…helps Ally and Monica with the song they're doing, and then I can help the other two and we can both come up with a song as a group and perform for the rest of the kids here?" he suggested. The three boys nodded eagerly.

"I'll go with Ally and Monica, since she's my sister, and you three can be a team. Okay?" the tall guy said. Austin nodded, smiling gratefully. He was worried they would all want to stay together and cause a problem.

"Great, we're sorted. Ally, Monica!" he called. They stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"Yeah?" Ally asked.

"We're splitting into teams, coming up with a song and performing in front of everyone. They'll judge the best one, okay?" he asked. Ally and Monica glanced at each other, and Monica nodded. Ally smiled.

"Okay, sounds good."

"I'm going with you guys, if that's okay." The tall guy said.

"Sure, Heath, that's fine." Said Monica, glancing at Ally for confirmation. Ally nodded, smiling warmly, and he sat down. Austin turned back to his own group.

"Alright, so you guys know my name, what are yours?"

"I'm Kenny and this is Ty." A ginger-haired kid said. Austin nodded, committing the names to memory, and smiled.

"Okay, who wants to play drums and who wants to play keyboard?" he asked.

"I can play a little on the drums. I had lessons for a few years before dad lost his job and couldn't afford it. With help I could probably do it." Said the black-haired guy, Ty. Austin nodded, thoughtful.

"Well, I guess that means you're on keyboard, Kenny. That okay?" he asked. Kenny nodded.

"Good. I can play the bass. Who wants to sing?" he asked.

"I can't sing for shit, Austin. I sound like a cat." Kenny informed him. Ty nodded.

"Me too."

"Oh, okay then. I guess I can sing, but what song do you wanna do?"

"Well, I thought that since they're doing 'One More Night', we could follow the Maroon 5 theme…"

"Sounds good, do you have a particular song in mind?" he asked. Kenny shrugged.

"Well, if you can manage the high notes, I love the song 'She Will Be Loved'…" Ty offered. Austin grinned.

"Of course I can manage the high notes. You like the song?" he asked Kenny, who nodded.

"Okay, then, we're sorted. I'm just going to go print out the music and we can start learning it." He said, jogging out of the room to go back to the computers.

Ally, Monica and Heath were making much faster progress. Ally had already managed to teach Monica the first verse, and while she practiced that she was showing Heath the chords on the keyboard.

"Now, if I program a drum beat to play in the background on the keyboard at some point, we'll have the music done, but we still need someone to sing." She said. Monica and Heath looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Neither of us can sing, Ally. You should hear us. Not a pretty sound." He said, and they both winced. Ally sighed.

"Well, I can't sing…"

"Oh, well I guess that kind of ruins things. There's no way we're going to win if none of us can even sing." Sighed Monica, putting the guitar down. Ally stopped her.

"Wait, how do we know that one of them can sing?" she asked, nodding her head towards the other group.

"Are you telling me you've never heard your boyfriend sing?" asked Monica. Ally frowned, confused.

"Huh?"

"Austin! He's amazing! He sings all the time, last time he came he sang in front of everybody. He's really, really good." He sighed, looking at Austin a little wistfully. Ally laughed.

"First off, Austin is not my boyfriend."

"Well, it sure looks like it. You can tell you two like each other. You have chemistry. It's obvious." Said Monica. Ally cringed, blushing a little.

"Well, considering I'm engaged to his _brother, _that's a little unfortunate, don't you think? Anyway, I guess if Austin is that good, I'll just have to sing, won't I?" she said.

"But you just said you can't…"

"I said that because I have a little stage fright…but it's not too bad, I am a music teacher after all. I'm sure I'll manage." She shrugged. Monica smiled.

"Well, if you're a good singer, why don't you sing and play the song for us? Just so we have a slight idea of what it sounds like." She suggested. Ally was about to protest, but then Austin turned around and caught her eye, and winked at her.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Good." She replied.

"I just thought I'd let you know, we're going to whoop your asses." He said. She glowered a little, turning back to Monica and holding out her hand for the guitar.

"Gimme a second, I'll show him." She muttered. Heath and Monica grinned, although they were a little worried. They had no idea if Ally was actually any good or not.

**You and I go hard, at each other like we're going to war**

**You and I go rough; we keep throwing things and slammin' the door**

**You and I get so damn dysfunctional we stopped keeping score**

**You and I get sick, yeah I know that we can't do this no more**

**But baby there you again, there you again, making me love you**

**Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go**

**Got you stuck on my body, on my body, like a tattoo**

**And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid, crawling back to you**

**So I cross my heart and I hope to die**

**That I'll only stay with you one more night**

**And I know I've said it a million times**

**But I'll only stay with you one more night**

**Trying to tell you no, but my body keeps on telling you yes**

**Trying to tell you stop, but your lipstick got me so out of breath**

**I'd be waking up, in the morning probably hating myself**

**And I'd be waking up, feeling satisfied but guilty as hell**

**But baby there you go again, there you go again, making me love you**

**Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go**

**Got you stuck on my body, on my body, like a tattoo**

**And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid, crawling back to you**

**So I cross my heart and I hope to die, **

**That I'll only stay with you one more night**

**And I know I've said it a million times**

**But I'll only stay with you one more night**

**Yeah baby give me one more night**

**Yeah baby give me one more night**

**Yeah baby give me one more night**

**But baby there you again, there you again, making me love you**

**Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go**

**Got you stuck on my body, on my body, like a tattoo**

**Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah**

**So I cross my heart, and I hope to die, **

**That I'll only stay with you one more night**

**And I know I've said it a million times**

**But I'll only stay with you one more night**

**(Yeah baby give me one more night)**

**So I cross my heart, and I hope to die**

**That I'll only stay with you one more night**

**And I know I've said it a million times**

**But I'll only stay with you one more night…**

**(I don't know whatever...)**

Ally finished singing and Monica and Heath were staring at her, huge smiles plastered on their faces. Austin, Ty and Kenny were staring at them, open-mouthed in shock. Ally smiled smugly and handed the guitar back to Monica. Austin started to say something but suddenly Bubba was peeking his head through the doorway.

"C'mon, kids, we're closing up. Time to clear out." He said, smiling a little apologetically. Heath and Monica sighed, but they were still grinning. Ally was grinning too, on a high from her performance. It had been so long since she had actually sat there and sang just for the sake of it, not to teach kids anything. And she loved it. She wanted more. Just not in front of too many people…her stage fright was nowhere near as bad as it was in high-school, but she was still nervous about performing in front of people she didn't know, or in front of a lot of people in general. Sighing, she grabbed her bag from the floor and slung it over her shoulder. The kids left the room and then Austin held the door open for her. She smiled at him and walked out, him right behind her.

On the way out, Austin stopped to say hello and goodbye to a few other people, and then finally he said goodbye to Bubba and they left. When they got out to the car, Ally was surprised to find that it was already almost seven. They had been in there longer than she thought they had. She climbed into the car, feeling like she should be tired but she was still on a high was hoping that Austin was being serious about those clubs, because she was not in the mood to go home yet.

"So…that was unbelievably good, Ally." Austin complimented her as he started the car. She caught herself blushing a little.

"Thanks. I was told that you're good too, though." She replied. He smiled.

"I'm okay, but not that good. You were just…mind-blowing. You shouldn't be a music teacher; you should be famous!" he exclaimed. She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"I wish. Nah, I'm happy where I am, being a teacher, engaged to Dallas…besides, he wouldn't let me." She sighed. Austin froze, almost driving off the road for a second time today. Ally squealed.

"What? He won't let you? So, what, does he control your life now?" he asked venomously. Ally gasped.

"Of course not! Why would you ask that? I just meant he'd think it was stupid…he doesn't believe in that kind of stuff. That's why he wants me to go back to school; he wants me to be a lawyer, like him, or at least study so I can teach a 'real subject'." She said. Austin frowned.

"He said that music wasn't a real subject? What an idiot. But seriously, Ally, you could get far. I swear you could. If it's something you want to do, why not? Don't let Dallas hold you back."

"I suppose…but I have stage fright. I mean, I can perform in front of people now, it used to be a lot worse, but I still can't perform in front of huge crowds…" she sighed. He frowned.

"Ah, well, I'm sure you would manage. It's a shame really; the world could do with some real talent. All the biggest stars right now are famous for too many things other than their talent. I mean, people like Justin Bieber and One Direction; they're good, but so overrated. Singers like Ed Sheeran and Emile Sande should get more credit. They are such amazing singers." He sighed. She smiled.

"I can see you're pretty passionate about this." She pointed out. He shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I love music. I couldn't live without it. And don't get me wrong, I love a bit of 1D, and even some JB at times, but I'd love to hear more real, meaningful music on the radios." He sighed. She laughed.

"Well, I don't really listen to modern music like that, and I've never heard of Ed Sheeran, but-"

"Whoa! No way! You've never heard of Ed Sheeran? You haven't lived! I think I have his album, check the glove compartment. It's an orange case with a face on it." He said. She found the CD and popped it in. He skipped to a track and smiled at her.

"This is my favourite." He said. She closed her eyes as the music started.

**I wanna be drunk when I wake up**

**On the right side of the wrong bed**

**And never an excuse I made up**

**Tell you the truth I hate**

**What didn't kill me**

**It never made me stronger at all.**

**Love will scar your make-up lip sticks to me**

**So now I'll maybe lean back there**

**I'm sat here wishing I was sober**

**I know I'll never hold you like I used to.**

**But our house gets cold when you cut the heating**

**Without you to hold I'll be freezing**

**Can't rely on my heart to beat in**

**'Cause you take parts of it every evening**

**Take words out of my mouth just from breathing**

**Replace with phrases like when you're leaving me.**

**Should I, should I?**

**Maybe I'll get drunk again**

**I'll be drunk again**

**I'll be drunk again**

**To feel a little love**

**I wanna hold your heart in both hands**

**Not watch it fizzle at the bottom of a Coke can**

**And I've got no plans for the weekend**

**So should we speak then**

**Keep it between friends**

**Though I know you'll never love me like you used to.**

**There may be other people like us**

**Who see the flicker of the clipper when they light up**

**Flames just create us, burns don't heal like before**

**You don't hold me anymore.**

**On cold days cold play's out like the band's name**

**I know I can't heal things with a hand shake**

**You know I can't change as I began saying**

**You cut me wide open like landscape**

**Open bottles of beer but never champagne**

**To applaud you with the sound that my hands make.**

**Should I, should I?**

**Maybe I'll get drunk again**

**I'll be drunk again**

**I'll be drunk again**

**To feel a little love.**

**All by myself**

**I'm here again**

**All by myself**

**You know I'll never change**

**All by myself**

**All by myself**

**I'm just drunk again**

**I'll be drunk again**

**I'll be drunk again**

**To feel a little love. **

As the song finished Ally opened her eyes and looked at Austin, who was grinning expectantly. She looked thoughtful for a moment, before breaking out into a huge grin.

"I can honestly say I love it. That was so good! I can't believe I've never heard that!" she exclaimed. He smiled, a little smug.

"You should listen to the radio more."

"Hmm, maybe…I need that CD though."

"I'll make you a copy." He said. She smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Come on, we're here." He said, braking the car and opening the door. She got out her side and slammed the door, rolling her eyes when Austin winced. _Boys and their cars…_

"So, where is 'here'?" she asked.

"Green."

"Green?"

"Yeah, Green. It's not the best club in town, but I know the owner so we can get in for free. And if Mindy is working the bar, we can get a discount on drinks." He said. She smiled.

"I don't drink, remember." She reminded him. He shrugged.

"I do. Come on, let's go."

**Please review! :D**


	7. Going to the Club

**Hey guys...I know, I know, i said I would update withing a couple days, but somethign happened, and it's not just a distraction, this was serious, really really serious, actually two things, and I just couldn't concentrate on writing with all this other stuff on my mind, so...I hope this makes up for it, though, there is Auslly but nothing relationship-y...I mostly just want them to become closer, and I don't want it to be rushed, although there are obviously feelings there already...anyway, enough of my rambling, just enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 7

Ally groaned as they turned the corner and she saw the huge queue to get into the building.

"Austin, do we really have to wait?"

"I told you, I know the owner. We can cut the line." He shrugged. She frowned.

"But that's ride, isn't it? All these people have been waiting…" Austin couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked when she had her brow furrowed all guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, Ally. Remember what I said about having fun? Just forget them; this is your night to have fun. They all probably come here every night. You'll probably only come here once, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. Screw it, let's go, quickly before I change my mind." She muttered. Austin grinned, and without thinking grabbed her hand. What felt like an electric current ran through them both, making them yank their hands apart and gasp in shock. Ally stared at him, wide-eyed, her hear beating twice as fas.t He looked away, fighting a blush, and gesturing for her to follow him.

He didn't understand. He had held her hand earlier that day and they were fine. What was it about that moment? Was it that they weren't expecting it? And why did he feel so strongly? The entire sensation was new to him. He had no idea what these feelings were, and consequently didn't know how to deal with them. So he shrugged it off and pushed through the crowd, checking back to make sure that Ally was behind him still every few seconds.

When they finally got to the doors, a scary security guard looked them up and down. Ally gulped, stepping backwards to hide behind Austin. After a couple seconds, though, the guard grinned.

"Austin Moon! Finally showing your face again? I haven't seen you for weeks! Where have you been?" he asked, slapping Austin on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. Austin smiled back, holding his hand up for a fist bump.

"Hey Don. I've been around, just never really been in the mood to go clubbing. This is Ally, by the way." He said, stepping aside to let him see her. Don looked her over, and then smiled.

"Pretty one, she is. Try not to screw this one up, Moon." He said. Austin rolled his eyes and she blushed again.

"She's not my girl, she's Dallas's." he shrugged. The guard squinted at her, on the defence.

"Dallas, as in the one that's been giving you a hard time because you're adopted?" he asked gruffly.

"Yeah, him, but it's okay. We're cool now. Besides, Dallas has been a bit of a jackass to Ally recently, so I brought her here. She needs some time to cool down, or she'll do something she'll regret." Austin explained, shrugging. Don smiled at her a little sympathetically.

"No girl deserves a man that don't treat her right. Now Austin here, he'd treat you right. Maybe you'd be better off with him." Don told her, shrugging. She blushed harder and even Austin reddened slightly. He grabbed her arm, nodding at Don.

"Well, we should go in. It's cold out here and I need a drink. We okay?" he asked. Don smiled, nodding and moving to let them past.

They hurried inside the club, and Ally instantly felt relieved. The loud, booming music, the smell of sweat and the heat was so overpowering, she couldn't possibly have kept thinking about anything other than the music and the dancing. She grinned widely, pulling out of Austin's grip to make her way to the dance floor. Austin followed her, not wanting to lose her in the crowd.

She was immediately targeted by a guy that looked almost fifty, who smiled 'seductively' at her and tried to pull her close to him. She just glared at him, moving backwards until she bumped into someone. She whirled around to apologise and found herself lost in someone's dark eyes. She smiled, and he smiled back. The song changed and he put his hands on her hips and they both started swaying to the music. Ally thought that it was a little forward, but she didn't care. Austin, however, cared a whole lot and after a couple seconds, he was there, pushing between the pair, sending the guy dagger-eyes, and facing Ally.

"What was that?" she shouted at him, mostly so that he could hear her over the music but she was pretty angry. He panicked a little, before coming up with the perfect excuse.

"I'm not going to stand there and watch some player put the moves on my brother's fiancé." He yelled back. She sighed, looking away. She was a little disappointed; she had thought for a second that he was jealous. But of course he wouldn't. And she wouldn't want that, anyway. Why would she care if Austin was jealous or not?

"Austin, I am twenty-one years old. I don't need some teenager looking after me!"

"I'm not looking after you, I'm just…I don't want you to be taken advantage of. Most guys in clubs like this are sleazy, you don't want to be involved with them." He shrugged. She glared.

"Does that include you?"

"Yeah, most of the time." He said seriously. She sighed, turning away from him to dance with someone else. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back around, looking peeved.

"Don't do anything stupid, Ally."

"Oh for fuck's sake, would you chill? This isn't the first time I've been in a club!" she shouted.

"What?"

"I used to go all the time, Dallas and I got serious!"

"But you've been dating Dallas since you were sixteen!"

"Yeah, well, I was going out clubbing since a few weeks before my fifteenth birthday. My friends were..."

"Idiots?"

"Hey, watch it. You don't know them. Besides, how long have you been coming to clubs like this?"

"Since my sixteenth birthday, but I'm a guy. It's different."

"That is so sexist!" Ally shouted, face flushing in anger. He rolled his eyes, deciding to drop the subject.

"Sorry. You want a drink?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, please. I'll have a soda."

"Okay." He said, turning away. When he turned back a couple of seconds later, she was already dancing with some other sleaze. Rolling his eyes he decided to let it go and he went to the bar to get the drinks.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Three hours later, Ally found Austin making out with a blonde girl that looked a little older than Ally in a corner. She rolled her eyes, tugging Austin away from her by the shoulder.

"Austin, come on, we need to leave, it's nearly midnight." She shouted. He smiled sloppily at her and she grimaced at the strong smell of alcohol. Yep, he was drunk. She was feeling a little tipsy just from sharing the same air as him.

"Hey Ally…can Shelly come home with us?" he slurred. She shook her head, glancing at the blonde girl apologetically. She just shrugged and walked off into the crowd, looking for some other guy.

"Well, that wasn't nice! Now I'm never going to see her again!" he protested. She just grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind her. He followed, stumbling a few times and nearly pulling Ally down with him. She eventually managed to find the car, yanking open the passenger door and pushing him into it. He sat down and looked around a little dazedly, before turning on the stereo and turning it up. Loud. She winced as she walked around to the other side.

"No, Austin, not this." She said, turning the volume down.

"My car, my music." He shrugged. She rolled her eyes but left the track on. Starting the car, she found herself beginning to nod her head to the catchy best, and by the second chorus she was belting it out alongside Austin.

_**She's so lov-e-ly, **_

_**She's so lov-e-ly, **_

_**She's so lov-e-ly,**_

_**She's so lov-e-ly!**_

_**She's so lov-e-ly, **_

_**She's so lov-e-ly, **_

_**She's so lov-e-ly,**_

_**She's so lov-e-ly!**_

And then it was just Austin singing, and he was staring straight at her.

**A stunner, I want her, **

**Was she this fit when she was ten years younger?**

**Come see me discreetly,**

**She says she's got a trick or two to teach me…**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**How we'll make it through this. **

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**How we'll make it through this.**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**How we'll make it through this.**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know!**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are lovely,**

**I think that you are beautiful.**

**She's so lov-e-ly, **

**She's so lov-e-ly, **

**She's so lov-e-ly,**

**She's so lov-e-ly!**

**She's so lov-e-ly, **

**She's so lov-e-ly, **

**She's so lov-e-ly,**

**She's so lov-e-ly!**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**How we'll make it through this. **

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**How we'll make it through this.**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**How we'll make it through this.**

**I don't know**

**I don't know**

**I don't know!**

Ally had no idea what to make of that. He was looking right at her the whole time, as if he really was singing it to her. But he couldn't be. He was only 17! He'd never see anything like that in her! And he was Dallas's brother! He'd never feel like that for his brother's girl…right?

"Erm, Austin…what was that?"

"That was She's So Lovely by Scouting For Girls." He informed her.

"Oh…" deciding not to make things awkward, she stopped talking. There were a few commercials then, for which she was grateful. She could just tune them out and concentrate on the road. But then another song came on, and she couldn't take it.

**You could hurt with a word**

**You could change my life**

**You could tell me the truth**

**It would cut like a knife**

**But I won't let go**

**But I won't let go,**

**No I won't let go.**

**You could fall, hit the wall**

**You could lose your way**

**You could lose, you could bruise,**

**Spend it all in day**

**But I won't let go**

**But I won't let go, **

**No I won't let go.**

**Cause if I had to save someone, I'd still save you**

**And if I had to pray for someone, I'd pray for you**

**Cause you know we are made for each other**

**Can't take that away, **

**Made for each other-**

Ally reached over and turned off the stereo. She couldn't quite explain why, but the song made her feel uncomfortable. She glanced at Austin, who was smirking. She momentarily wondered why, but then she had other things on her mind. Like the fact that the car was making strange noises and the fuel gauge was on empty. She groaned loudly, pulling up on the side of the road, and slapped the steering wheel. Hard. Hard enough, in fact, to hurt her hand. She winced, tearing up a little.

"Great, this is just great. Why didn't you tell me there wasn't enough gas in the car?" she yelled at Austin. He shrugged.

"Didn't know." He mumbled, and then he paled. Ally opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong but he was already opening the door and climbing out. She undid her seat belt and got out her own side, running around to meet him just in time to see him throw up on the side of the road. She grimaced, grossed out, and looked away. He stood up, shaking, and looked at her.

"Erm, Ally, there's a bottle of water in the glove box. Could you get it for me please?" he asked, still slurring his words but looking a little less out of it. She nodded, rushing back to open the door and search for the water. It was only half full, but there was nothing else.

He took a huge gulp, spat it out, and then drank the rest. Then he collapsed onto the ground, resting his head on his knees.

"What's up Austin?" Ally asked him.

"I'm such an idiot." He muttered.

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm in-I'm drunk. I got drunk again." She got the feeling he was about to say something else, but she dropped it because he seemed upset. Sighing, she sat down beside him.

"You're not an idiot. You just…you made a mistake." She shrugged.

"I guess. I don't know…I don't usually drink that much. I got carried away…I've already told you once, I've never been really drunk before." He shrugged.

"Well, you weren't that drunk, Austin. You didn't do anything stupid…" she said reassuringly. He smiled sourly.

"I know, but-"

"No buts, Austin. It's fine, everything is fine. You just need to calm down and chill out." She said. She rubbed his back comfortingly, and realised that he was shaking.

"Are you cold?" she asked. She was wearing a jacket, but he was only wearing a thin blue shirt, and it was pretty cold outside. He wrapped his arms around himself and nodded. She got to her feet, pulling him up with her.

"Come on, let's get in the car. I'll call Dallas." She sighed. He got to his feet, stumbling. She caught him, and their faces were only inches apart. Ally's breath caught as their eyes met, and his darkened from a medium brown to almost black.

He leant in closer, and suddenly she realised what was happening. She stepped backwards, and he looked hurt.

"I-I'm sorry. I…Dallas." She muttered. She should have said 'I don't like you that way', or at least 'I don't want to'. But no. All she could say was 'Dallas.'

"You're right, sorry. I just got caught in the moment. Remind me not to drink so much next time." He joked. She smiled, relieved that he wasn't going to make things awkward, and turned to get into the car. He followed her, smiling softly to himself, secretly ecstatic that she hadn't said she didn't want to kiss him.

They sat in the car in silence for a while, before Ally started to lose it.

"Urgh! There has to be something we can do! I hate just sitting here waiting for something to happen! What if a murderer comes along and kills us or something…" she complained. Austin chuckled. The cold air and silence had sobered him up a little more, but he was still feeling a little ditzy.

"We could talk, or…play a game?" he suggested. She frowned.

"I guess a game could be fun…what did you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure, there's not a lot we can play. How about…twenty questions?"

"Sounds good. I'll start." She said, smiling enthusiastically. Yeah, it was childish and immature, but it was a lot more fun that sitting there doing nothing.

"Oh shit, what have I gotten myself into?" he muttered. She laughed.

"Why are you worried? Do you have any secrets you don't want to share?"

"Maybe…"

"Well, you have to be 100% honest, and I will be too. Sound fair?"

"Yeah, I guess." He sighed.

"Okay then. First question, an easy one. What's your middle name?"

"Monica. Yours?" she burst into laughter before she could answer his retaliation question.

"Monica? Really?"

"Yeah, my mom…she was expecting a girl." He shrugged. She laughed.

"Well mine is Marie."

"Wow…I was hoping for something funnier." He looked disappointed. She smiled.

"Don't worry; I swear I won't laugh at you again." She promised. He smiled gratefully.

"Okay, next question." He muttered.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked, after thinking for a second. He frowned, thinking.

"I have no idea." He shrugged.

"Really, nothing?"

"Nope. How about you?"

"Erm, Austin, I hate to break it to you, but I'm already grown up. And I'm a music teacher…remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. But you want to be famous, right?"

"We've already had this conversation. It's never going to happen." She shrugged. He sighed, obviously not happy with her response, but decided to let it go.

"Okay, well, I guess I would like to do something music-based. I'm not really good enough to be famous, but…"

"I bet you are. And with your looks, you'd make an awesome rockstar. You have the typical rockstar style, the obvious good-looks, the blonde, natural sex-hair, the-"

"Wait, did you just say sex-hair?" he asked her, smiling in amusement. She shrugged.

"It's a term used a lot in Miami. It just means that it looks like you've literally woken up with your hair that way, but it looks good, like it does after sex." She shrugged.

"Oh…well, this is one hundred percent natural. I don't let girls touch my hair…even when we are, well, you know…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" she cringed. She did not want to hear him talking about having sex. She told herself it was because he was young, but she knew there was a different reason.

"Yeah…anyway, next question. That was your second."

"Okay, well, third question…what's your favourite film?"

"Any of the James Bond films. Or Titanic. And actually, I do have a soft spot for Mean Girls…don't laugh!" he warned. But she couldn't help chuckling a little.

"That is a great movie…I can't watch Titanic, though, it makes me cry too much. And Dallas doesn't like sad movies. He doesn't see the point in watching something if it's just going to make you sad. He prefers Disney movies and animated films…" she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Are you serious? Wow, it sounds like you're describing a child, not a twenty-three-year-old man." He frowned. She nodded.

"Yeah, but that's just Dallas, I guess. Anyway, next question…favourite songs?" she asked, knowing that he wouldn't have just one. She could tell, even from knowing him for just a little while, that he would have a wide range of favourite music. Unlike Dallas, who didn't really listen to music, and whose favourite song is 'I Gotta Feeling'.

"Drunk, How to Save a Life, Chasing Cars, Girl on Fire of Empire State of Mind." He said. She smiled; she knew each song, and who they were by. True, she only knew Drunk because he had shown her earlier in the day, but she still knew all the rest already.

"Wow, those are all amazing. You have such great taste in music. Anyway, number five, erm…let's get more serious now. What's the most serious relationship you have ever had?"

"Well, when I was fifteen there was this girl that I really, really liked…she was seventeen, and she was really nice and she worked in this diner. I crushed on her for ages, and then I finally got up the courage to ask her out. She said no at first, because she didn't date, but then I wrote her a song and sang it to her and she changed her mind. We were together for a few months, but then her band got a record deal and had to move to LA. She, erm…she was my first. On my sixteenth birthday. And then she left the next day." He sighed.

"So, you had sex and then she dumped you?"

"No! I mean, we tried to make it work but you know how it is with long-distance…we only lasted a week or so before she told me there were so many other guys and her publicist wanted her to date someone famous and…yeah. Next thing I knew, she'd changed her name, dropped her band and became a mega-star." He shrugged. She frowned.

"If she's a mega star, how come I haven't heard of her?"

"Oh, trust me, you probably have. She changed her name to Carly, released a song called 'Call me Maybe'…and now she's, like, best friends with Justin Bieber." He shrugged. Ally's Jaw dropped.

"You dated Carly Rae Jepsen?" she asked, open-mouthed. He shook his head.

"No, I dated Cassidy Rae Jepsen. Trust me, she's a completely different person now. She hasn't even contacted me since we broke up. I texted her so many times, but…yeah." He shrugged. She noticed that he had tears in his eyes.

"Oh my God, you poor thing. So, you really liked this girl huh?"

"Yeah, a lot. I know it seems fast, and I might have been a little young, but I think I was falling in love with her…it hurts. A lot. Which is why I haven't committed to another girl since." He explained. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, which was a little awkward, and not just because they were in a confined space.

"How long did you say Dallas would be, anyway?" he asked her. She thought for a second, and then groaned.

"Oh shit, I never even called him!" she half-yelled. Austin chuckled.

"Too distracted by me and my sex-hair?" he asked. She glared at him.

"I'm perfectly capable of kicking you out of this car and locking the doors, you know." She warned. He stopped laughing and apologised. Ally dialled Dallas's number. He answered ont the first ring.

"Ally? Ally, are you okay? Is Austin there? I'm going to kill him! Tell him he better run, and run fast, because I am going to _kill him."_ He said.

"Whoa, Dallas, chill!"

"Don't tell me to chill! Its past one o'clock in the morning, Ally, and no-one knows where you and Austin are!"

"Well, I'm calling you to tell you that!"

"Where are you?" he asked, voice shaking. She knew he was restraining himself. She sighed.

"Erm…we're, erm…" she looked at Austin, realising that she didn't know where they were, and he held out his hand for the phone.

"Hey, Dallas." He said. He winced and moved the phone away from his ear, and Ally could clearly hear her fiancé shouting some things she did not wish to repeat. After a minute or so of ranting, Dallas stopped yelling and Austin started talking again.

"If you're done, listen to me. I'm really sorry. Not that I took Ally out, she needed to get out and you were being an idiot. But I'm sorry we're out so late. But the main reason is that the car broke down and Ally couldn't get any signal on her phone to call you. We've been walking around like idiots for the last ten minutes trying to get signal. The car is on the intersection on the way from downtown…Yeah, we'll be back…What will we do with my car though?...But I need my car!...Dallas, come on…Okay, I guess that'll work…see you." Austin hung up, shaking his head sadly. Ally crossed her arms, frowning at him.

"You just lied to him." She accused, narrowing her eyes at him. He scowled at her.

"Would you rather I told him you 'forgot' to call him? Because you were too busy talking to me? Do you really think that would go down well?" he asked her, exasperated. She sighed.

"Sorry." She murmured. He shrugged.

"Whatever. I'm just pissed that I have to leave my car here overnight…if it's still here when I get back, it'll be trashed." He complained.

"Well, I guess you should have thought of that before you let it run out of gas."

"I know…Dallas says he's gonna call the tow company as soon as they open in the morning, so it should be okay. I don't think you get many vandals running around at half six in the morning…" he shrugged. She could tell he was still worried, but she left it alone. They waited in silence, and when Dallas finally got there she couldn't help but feel relieved, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thanks for coming, baby. I hate being out here in the dark. It's so scary." She whispered, burying her head in his neck. He hugged her back, kissing her head.

"It's okay, Ally, I'm sorry. I never should have done what I did, and I hate myself for making you end up out here." He sighed. She pulled back and smiled at him.

"Let's just forget it, yeah? It's over. The end." She said. He nodded, smiling.

Austin, meanwhile, watched the couple in agony. One the one hand, he was a little glad they weren't angry with each other anymore, and he liked seeing Ally smiling and happy.

On the other hand, he was insanely jealous.

**Well, duh, who wouldn't be? ;)**

**Review, my little sweeties, and I promise to update soon! :D**


	8. Making Ally's Day and Breaking Her Heart

**Okay, please don't hate me. i know it's been a longggg time, and I am sosososososososo sorry. I will try my very best to update faster, and it should work because I'm on half term right now, which means a whole week off school! But anyway, yeah, this is Chapter 8, I hope you find it worth the wait...there is a LOT of drama in this one, be warned, so i think you might be pretty pleased, and maybe not be totally uncontrollably angry about the wayyyy too long wait...? Maybe? Please?**

**Please review, even if it is just to tell me how much you hate me for making you wait a whole week...:/ **

**Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :/**

Chapter 8

Over the next few days, Ally and Dallas worked on putting their recent fall-outs behind them and strengthening their relationship. Ally barely even saw Austin until Saturday morning, when he found her in her room. Dallas had gone out with Graham to help him with something.

"Hey Ally." He said, sounding almost shy. She glanced at him briefly and smiled.

"Hey Austin. How are you?"

"I'm okay, you?"

"I'm good. Really good. Dallas and I are closer than ever, his family all seem to like me, and I'm having loads of fun. You know, I was expecting this vacation to be crappy, and I thought I would just be really depressed about losing my job and wanting to go home, but I really love it here, and I wish we could stay longer." She sighed. He smiled, moving to sit next to her on the bed. She grabbed her hairbrush and started brushing, feeling strangely anxious with Austin so close to her, although she wasn't quite sure why.

"I'm glad you're having fun, and trust me, you don't have to worry about the whole job thing. You'll find another job. How could you not? You're a people person. Anyone would hire you." He shrugged. She smiled.

"Thanks. I don't know, though…Miami isn't a very big place, and if word gets around about my outburst, no employer in their right mind is going to want to hire me to teach kids."

"Well if that's true, maybe you'll just have to move away from Miami…" he suggested. She laughed.

"Dallas would never agree to that. He has his whole life in Miami." She sighed. He frowned, looking a little hurt.

"What about his family? We're here, in Dallas. Or is his family not a part of his life anymore?" he asked. Ally winced.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that. I mean his whole life as in his job and his friends. We've lived in Miami together for so long…I couldn't imagine him agreeing to move anywhere." She shrugged. Austin smiled, deciding that the best thing to do would be to change the subject.

"Okay, so…how much longer are you staying here?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Probably another couple weeks or so. I don't think it matters to Dallas; we're not paying for a hotel or anything. And I certainly don't mind."

"Well, if you've only got a week or so, we better get practising for this sing-off. Not that you need much practice, but I do…it's a Saturday, so the Youth Club should be open in an hour or so. Are you coming with me?" he asked. She grinned and nodded, jumping to her feet.

"I just need to shower and get dressed and we can leave." She said. It was then that Austin noticed that she was dressed in nothing but very short pyjama shorts and a low-cut, leopard print top and he could see _a lot _of skin and suddenly the guest room felt a little hot and stuffy and his face was more than a little red.

He didn't understand. He had, of course, acknowledged that Ally was very good-looking, and that under other circumstances she would definitely be the kind of girl he would approach in a club or somewhere. But she was considerably older than him, and she was engaged to his brother, so these feelings…he shouldn't have them, to say the least. But more than that, no girl had ever made him feel short of breath, or even a little embarrassed before. Sure, girls had turned him on, all the time, but this was different. He didn't look at Ally and see a nice ass and reasonable amount of cleavage. He saw a beautiful, down-to-earth young woman who he could honestly see himself falling for…and that didn't just scare him.

It absolutely terrified him.

He heard the shower start and realised it probably wasn't completely appropriate for him to still be there, so he left the guest room. Back in his own bedroom he lay on the bed and closed his eyes, angry at himself and his stupid teenage hormones. He managed to get his breathing back under control but the images of Ally in her skimpy PJ's out of his mind, and he knew those images, and some much more fictional ones, would haunt him in his dreams for a while.

Half an hour later, he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in!" he called, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair. Ally walked in, smiling, and looked around for a second.

"Wow, so this is your room…you know, I was not expecting this." She said, sounding surprised. He smirked.

"You've been thinking about what my bedroom looks like?" he asked her, eyebrows raised. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Austin, because I have so much spare time and nothing better to do that think about some kids bedroom." She sighed.

"I'm not a kid."

"You might as well be." She muttered, but he could see something in her eyes, a strange emotion that he couldn't quite out a name to, that told him that she was only saying that because it was the appropriate response for the situation.

She looked around at the many posters on his walls. She smiled as she recognised some of them; there was a Coldplay picture, a signed Fall Out Boy poster and a few others that she recognised but couldn't put names to. He also had a desk in one corner, and a small bookshelf with some comic books and some actual, real _books, _which was what surprised her most.

"Whatever. So are you ready to go?" he asked, jumping to his feet and grabbing a jacket. She left the room and he followed behind her, slamming the door shut.

When they got to his car she climbed into the passenger seat and opened the glove box to grab the Ed Sheeran CD, which she then placed into the player and started before Austin was even in the car. He chuckled, smiling to himself. None of his past girlfriends had ever shared his passion for music, and they had often tried to put their own favourites on, which he had usually allowed to avoid arguments. He was, after all, mostly dating them for the sex, and he didn't want to upset them.

But it was still a huge relief for him that Ally liked his music and wouldn't make him listen to a load of crap. Even if she had tried, though, he would have let her. Not because he was expecting sex from her, of course. But because he would hate to hurt her, or upset her in any way at all. She was kinda like a puppy; no matter what she did, or how annoying she was, nobody would yell at her because nobody wants to see a puppy upset.

"So, are you looking forward to this competition?" he asked her. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, totally. I never get to do things like this…I'm so pumped. I mean, even if we lose, it won't be upsetting or embarrassing at all because we've tried so hard and had so much fun. Plus, I will have made two awesome new friends from it."

"Yeah, Monica and Heath are cool. Be careful with them though. They don't have the best lives at home. Monica is very sensitive, and if she thinks someone is leaving her, abandoning her…she gets really upset. And then Heath gets really, really protective. I'm not saying I think you might abandon them or anything, but…be careful." He sighed. She frowned, getting the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her, but shrugged it off.

"Well, I'm definitely not planning on abandoning them anytime soon, but don't worry, I will be careful. Anyway, when will we be preforming this?" she asked. He shrugged. Whenever we're ready, I guess."

"Good. Think you guys are going to be ready soon?"

"Yeah, probably. You know, we might even be done after today. We could perform right before you and Dallas leave, how about that? And we could get the family to come along and watch!" he said, grinning widely. Ally smiled.

"That would be nice…Dallas has never heard me sing properly before." She sighed wistfully. Austin fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Well, he's sure missing out. You're pretty amazing." He said. She smiled at how easily he complimented her. She loved Dallas but couldn't help comparing him to Austin. And the way Austin managed to randomly compliment her, something Dallas never did, and the way Austin smiled and laughed at her when Dallas would have rolled his eyes or been embarrassed…maybe it was just because Austin was younger and less mature, but she just felt like she had so much more in common with Austin than she did with Dallas.

"Thanks Austin. Oh good, we're here. Come on." She said excitedly, jumping out of the car almost before Austin had stopped.

He followed her in, greeting Bubba with a nod and blushing when the older man gestured to Ally and shot him a thumbs up.

"Hey Ally!" greeted Monica, smiling widely at her as she walked in. Ally grinned back and walked over, relieved to see that she and Heath were both there, with their instruments, ready and waiting to start rehearsing.

"Hey guys. Austin thinks that him and the guys might be ready to perform for the next time we come over, do you think we can be ready too?" she asked. They glanced at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

"If Heath can get his head around the chorus, we're sorted." Monica shrugged. Heath glared at her and punched her arm playfully.

"Good, because I'm not sure how many times I'll be able to make it before I go home." She said sadly. Monica frowned and Heath stiffened.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, sometime, but not yet." She said carefully. Monica teared up and Heath sat up a little straighter.

"So is this is? You come here, use us to win some stupid bet or whatever, and leave and never think of us again?" he asked, voice raised slightly. Austin, Kenny and Ty looked over, anxious. Austin looked kinda scared and he stood up, about to go interfere.

"No, not at all. Heath, Monica, calm down. Seriously. Look, I came to Dallas with my fiancé, Dallas, for a vacation. We're staying with Dallas's family. Which means we will be coming back, visiting more often…I won't forget about you guys, I swear. Look, I'll even give you my number so that we can keep in touch, since I'm not sure how long it'll be before we come visit again, but I promise you, I am not going to abandon you." She said sincerely. Monica wiped her eyes, smiling apologetically, and Heath backed down, looking a little remorseful.

"Sorry Ally. I-I assumed the worst. I should have known better. Not everyone is the same as…sorry." She muttered. Ally smiled, shrugging.

"It's okay. Water under the bridge. How about a hug?" she offered, holding her arms out. Monica nodded and wrapped her arms around Ally's waist. Heath gasped in shock. Ally frowned at him, confused. She looked back and saw that Kenny and Ty looked pretty shocked too, and Austin looked, well, erm…jealous? Shrugging it off, she pulled away and sat down, Monica doing the same. They all spent the next few hours practising until Austin stopped them at one thirty.

"Let's go get some lunch and then we can come back." He said, motioning to the door. Monica and Heath jumped up and ran out to join everyone else in the dining room. Ally went to follow them but Austin stopped her.

"Wait, Ally, I need to speak to you." He muttered. She frowned.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, it's just…when you hugged Monica earlier; you noticed that everyone looked surprised, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I didn't know this at the time, but apparently Monica has…issues. She hates being touched. As in, nobody is allowed to touch her, not even Heath. And she never, ever, hugs anyone. Ever. That's completely unheard of." He explained. She gaped, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Then why did she hug me? She didn't even seem reluctant…she just hugged me, as if there was nothing strange about it at all." She said, bemused. Austin smiled.

"That was what I asked. Ty and Kenny said that she must trust you. Like, really trust you." He said, smiling.

"But I've only known her for a little while…" she pointed out. He shrugged.

"You're a very trustworthy person, Ally. She must sense that. I know I sensed that."

"Wow…I can't believe this. This is…" she trailed off, and they both stood in silence for a moment, before jumping in fright at a knock on the door.

"Am I interrupting something?" Bubba asked, walking in. Ally shook her head and Austin shrugged.

"What's up Bub?" he asked. Bubba smiled.

"Well, I've just heard an amazing story about this young girl here," he said, smiling pointedly at Ally, "Is it true that Monica _hugged _you?" he asked a little incredulously. Ally nodded, smiling shyly.

"Yeah, all Ally did was offer her a hug and Monica wrapped her arms around her, no hesitation whatsoever. I didn't realise the significance at the time, but now that I know the story…wow. It's amazing, Bub. You should have seen it." Ally blushed at the slightly awed look on Bubba's face.

"You know, Monica has been coming here for almost a year now, and she hasn't so much as brushed against anyone before. She was crying a month or so ago because _Heath _accidentally brushed shoulders with her. This is seriously incredible…how did you do it?"

"Well, I-"

"It was great! Ally said something about going home and they were getting upset, thinking she was going to abandon them, you know how Monica and Heath get…Anyway, then Ally managed to stop them from getting completely worked up, and she made this great speech about not abandoning them and coming back and visiting them, and then she was just like 'How about a hug?" and Monica threw herself at her and Heath gasped and Ty and Kenny were almost crying and I was really, really jea-I mean, confused, but I get it now." He went red at his little slip-up. Ally didn't seem to notice but Bubba smirked.

"Is that is? No psychic mind tricks? No hypnotism?" he joked, still looking awed. Ally laughed, shaking her head.

"Not that I know of." She shrugged.

"Well, Ally Dawson, it looks like you're some kind of miracle worker. You know, Monica isn't the only one. Heath is acting different too, has been since you came the first time. I don't know if it has something to do with you, or with the music thing, but seriously, I'm unbelievably grateful. It's too bad you don't live in Dallas, really. I mean, I'd love to offer you a job, but I'm assuming you already have one back in Miami…" he sighed, looking honestly disappointed. Austin beamed.

"Actually, Bub, she doesn't. Right Ally?" he asked. She blushed, flattered.

"Well, no, but like you said, I don't live here in Dallas, and I don't think Dallas would approve, and…I'm sorry, Bubba, but I don't think it would work out." She said apologetically. He sighed.

"Well, I understand that you will need to have a chat with that fiancé of yours, but the offer is on the table. If you can think of any way to make it work, the job is yours. And the pay is pretty good too. We get a lot of funding." He said. She grinned.

"Thanks, Bubba, I'm touched. Really, I appreciate this. I'll speak to Dallas, but I can't see a way that it might work out, unless the two of us move here to Dallas…" she sighed. Bubba shrugged.

"Well, think about it, okay?"

"I will, don't worry."

"Thanks Ally. Anyway, you had better go grab some lunch before all the good stuff is gone." He smiled, motioning for the two of them to leave the room.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

The rest of the day went really fast and before they knew it, it was five o'clock and Ally's cell phone was ringing. Checking the caller ID, she was momentarily upset to see that it was Dallas. But then she answered the phone and told herself that it was stupid, she'd been away from him all day, she should be happy to hear from him.

"Hey baby!" she exclaimed, a little over-excited. She toned it down a little.

"Hey Ally….what's got you so happy?" he asked.

"Nothing, really, just had a good day."

"Oh yeah? What have you been up to?" he asked.

"I've been at the Youth Club with Austin all day, practising for the sing-off." She said excitedly.

"Huh? What Youth Club? What sing-off?" he asked, bewildered. She frowned, a little pissed off.

"I explained all of this to you at least twice over the past week, Dallas. You know, the Youth Club Austin brought me to that day that you were being a dick?"

"Oh, yeah…" he said unconvincingly. She groaned, exasperated.

"You don't remember?"

"Well, I've been stressed lately, and I've been forgetting a lot of things, and-"

"Oh fuck that lame excuse, you weren't even listening to me, were you?" she asked, furious. She could almost see him wince at her curse. She never swore, at least not in front of Dallas.

"Whoa, Ally, no need for that kind of language. So maybe I wasn't listening, it's not like you hang on every word I say, right?"

"Well of course I don't _hang _on _every word you say, _but for fuck's sake, at least I listen to you!" she whisper-yelled, not wanting to use that kind of language when Monica and Heath could hear. They were both old enough to use that kind of language themselves, at fifteen and sixteen, but if she was considering a job here, she at least needed to make an effort.

"I'm sorry, Ally, you know I usually listen to you, I'm just tired and stressed lately, and-"

"Stressed? How can you possibly be stressed? We're on _vacation_, Dallas!"

"I, erm…I'm stressed about…hang on, I'll call you back in a second." He said hurriedly, before hanging up. Ally flushed, furious, and looked up at Austin. He took one look at her face and got to his feet.

"Okay guys, it's getting late, I think Ally and I should head home now." He said. Kenny glanced up, confused, but then he saw Ally and nodded. They all said their goodbye, Monica hugging her again, albeit a little bit more chastely, and they left.

As soon as they were out of the building, Ally hit the redial button and listened as the phone rang. It went to answerphone, but she rang again. After going to answerphone four times, Dallas finally picked up, sounding breathless and anxious.

"Ally, I told you I'd call back!" he complained. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped dead. What she heard next shocked her too much to be able to speak.

"Dally? Who's that? Make them go away, tell them we're busy…" a woman's voice purred from the other end of the phone. The sound wasn't the best quality, but there was no doubt that it was a woman. And no doubt that she was talking like, well, like Dallas and her were up to something Ally would _not _like.

"Ari, not now…"Dallas hissed.

"Sorry Ally, that was my, erm, my friend, Aaron."

"You know Dallas; I don't know what hurts most. The fact that you would be fooling around with some other woman behind my back, or that you would have the nerve to tell me that the woman that just called you 'Dally' and told you to say you were 'busy' is your 'friend' called 'Aaron'…"

"Ally, it's not what you think…"

"Sure it's not. You disgust me Dallas." She scoffed, before hanging up the phone and looking at Austin. He watched her, mouth open, motionless, and their eyes met. He stepped forward, ready to comfort her, and she collapsed, legs giving out so that she was sitting on the ground, leaning against the car. She tried to fight the tears but couldn't. Austin rushed over, crouching down beside her to make sure she was okay. She buried her head in her hands and cried, shaking violently as the sobs racked her body.

"Come on, Ally, calm down. He's not worth your tears." He said. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. She shoved him away, glaring at him.

"Not worth it? We've been together for five years, engaged for a pretty decent chunk of that, and I'm completely, head-over-heels in love with him. We live together, Austin. I've been with him for so long I can't imagine life without him, and now I find out that he's _cheating on me. _So don't you dare tell me he's not fucking worth it, because he is, he so is." She screamed, getting to her feet and turning to lean her head against the car. She punched it a few times weakly but it didn't help.

"Okay, Ally, I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. He's an idiot, though. An idiot for hurting you, and idiot for thinking that anything was worth this. Worth losing you, or risking losing you." He said. She calmed down a little, glancing at him apologetically.

"Sorry, Austin. You didn't deserve that. I'm just…I can't believe it. I've never felt like this before. I can't believe how much this hurts. But that doesn't give me the right to take it out on you. I'm sorry." She muttered. He shrugged.

"Don't sweat it. Look, I'm here for you. I wanna be your friend, and I'm here for you. If you need a shoulder to cry on, or just something to hit, I'm right here." He said. She smiled at little through the tears.

"Thanks Austin."

"No problem. Come on, let's get home. I need to have a serious talk with my brother." He muttered. She frowned.

"No, you don't. I don't want this to drive you two apart. You're brothers, and you've only just fixed your relationship, Austin. I don't want to get between you and your family."

"Ally, it wouldn't be your faulty, it would be his. He's such an idiot. He must be seriously stupid to not realise how lucky he is to have you. I'll never be able to look at him the same way again." he shrugged. She smiled.

"You don't have to keep saying those things, Austin. I mean, I appreciate it, but it's just going to make things awkward. Plus, I'm not in the mood for false compliments." She muttered.

"Who said they were false?" he asked, voice low. She looked at him, eyes meeting, and felt some kind of shock run through her at the honesty in his expression.

"Y-you really think he was lucky to have me?" she asked quietly.

"Extremely lucky. I know that if I was lucky enough to have you, I'd never risk it by fooling around with other women. She smiled.

"Thanks, Austin. You know, if you were a couple years older…" she didn't finish that sentence, knowing full well that Austin could finish it himself. He looked pained for a second, and then he smiled.

"Or if you were a couple years younger…" he agreed. She smiled, and then turned to get into the car. He went around and got in the driver's side.

"You know, this is going to make things so awkward. Do you think you could maybe not tell your family about what's happened? I don't want them to be torn between Dallas and I…" she muttered. He scoffed.

"There's no way I'm going to not tell them, but don't worry. They won't be torn. They're all going to agree with me, and they will all be there for you. My family is pretty strict about cheating and stuff. But you know, this is so going to put a downer on my birthday party tomorrow." He sighed. She laughed, the frowned.

"Your birthday is tomorrow? Oh, I am so sorry! I totally forgot! I think Charlotte mentioned it when we went to the mall…is it strange that it feels like it was months ago that we got here, when it's only been a few days?" she asked, momentarily awestruck. He shook his head, sighing.

"Trust me, Ally, I feel like you've been here a _lot _longer than a week too…" he muttered. Ally got the feeling that there was some kind of double-meaning to that, but she decided to ignore it. Come to think of it, she had been ignoring a lot of 'feelings' lately…

**Review? :D**


	9. Happy Birthday Austin

**As promised, a fast update! I really hope you like this chapter, I think you will especially enjoy the ending...btu please don;t hate me for ending it where I did! I'll update as soon as I can, probably tomorrow! **

**Thanks for sticking with the story, even when I did take forever to update, I really appreciate it, and all the reviews are just icing on the cake...you guys are the best readers in the whole entire world! I love you all!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :(**

Chapter 9

When they got back to the house, Ally was relieved to find that Dallas wasn't there. Addison was, though.

"Hey Ally, Austin. Have you seen Dallas lately?"

"Nope. And I'd better not see him anytime soon if he values his life." Austin muttered lowly, storming past his mother and up the stairs. Ally sighed, seeing the confused and slightly hurt look on Addison's face.

"Oh dear, they're fighting again are they? What happened this time?"

"They're not exactly fighting…Austin's just really mad at Dallas." She told the older woman.

"Why? What did he do?"

"He, erm…he's been cheating on me." She muttered. Addison paled.

"What?" she asked, voice low and dangerous. Ally teared up, thinking that Addison was mad at her.

"It's true. I'm sorry, I hate to be the one to tell you this, and I understand if you want me to leave…he is your son, and I know you have to stand by him. I'll just go pack my things…" Ally murmured. Addison frowned, shaking her head and pulling Ally in for a hug that she was _so _not expecting.

"Oh, Ally dear. Only you could tell me that my son has been cheating on you and then think I was mad at _you._ Don't worry dear, I know he's my son, and I find it hard to believe this. But I know you're not the type of girl to make an accusation like this for no reason, and unless he can prove otherwise to me, I believe you. And I am going to murder Dallas."

"No, Addison, you don't have to do that…" she protested.

"But I do, Ally. See, we're not the type of family to take infidelity lightly…" she said, and though she was smiling and her voice was normal, Ally could see the absolute fury in her eyes.

"Okay, Addison. But please, let him speak first. I mean, I have almost no doubt that he was being unfaithful, but I'd like to hear what he has to say first…"

"Don't worry, I will let him speak. But you're a smart girl, Ally, and I know you will have considered all of the alternatives and not just jumped to this conclusion. You go to your room, have a little alone time. I'm sure you could use it."

"Thanks, Addison. It means a lot that you're here for me."

"Don't sweat it, Ally. And trust me, I'll always be here for you. You're a part of this family now, no matter what happens with Dallas, and we will all be here for you. Always."

"Thank you." Ally choked out, now bawling, and kissed Addison on the cheek before making her way up the stairs and into her room. She smiled softly when she saw Austin waiting for her, sat on the bed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, getting to his feet when he saw that she was crying. She nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm beginning to feel like I really, truly am a part of this family. It's a little ironic that I would start feeling like this after my relationship with Dallas crumbles." She sighed. Austin smiled.

"Well, you are a part of this family, whether it works out with you and Dallas or not. Don't you ever forget that." He muttered. She smiled, and did something she probably shouldn't have done.

She hugged him. Ally threw her arms around him and pulled him close to her, resting her head on his chest. He froze in surprise, and then hugged her back. They both knew that this hug should have been completely platonic. And they both would have gone to the grave swearing that it was. But they both knew that it wasn't. There were feelings involved in this hug that neither of them wanted to acknowledge, because if they did, things would be unbelievably complicated and right then, more complications were the last thing that Ally needed.

So Austin pulled away, smiling softly, and left the room. Ally stood still for a moment, before throwing herself down on the bed, huffing into the pillows. She let the tears flow again, because she did love Dallas, and he had hurt her. Badly. She had given him everything she could, and was planning to give him the rest soon. But he had ruined everything. She was allowed to cry about it. No matter what kind of feelings she had possibly been having towards a certain brother of his, she hadn't acted on them. She had stayed faithful, resisted temptation for him, and how did he repay her?

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Ally, you might want to come down here…" Addison called up the stairs. Ally's stomach twisted; from the tone of her voice, Ally assumed that Dallas was home. As she left the bedroom Austin was just leaving his own room. He smiled reassuringly, but she could see that he was seriously angry.

"If it's him, promise me you won't start anything. I really don't want to ruin this family." She pleaded quietly. He frowned.

"You won't Ally. And I guess I won't start anything…unless he says anything out of order. Anything at all." He warned. She sighed and nodded, knowing that this was the best she was going to get, and then they headed down the stairs.

Ally stifled a groan at the sight of her fiancé's hopeful face.

"Hey, Ally…" he said softly. She looked back at Austin.

"Did you hear something? I swear I just heard something, but I'm pretty sure trash doesn't speak…" she said to him, loud enough for everyone to hear. Austin snickered and even Addison smiled a little, but Dallas just winced.

"I guess I deserved that…" he muttered. She glared at him.

"Yeah, you did, and you deserve more. How could you do that to me, Dallas?"

"I'm so sorry, Ally. Look, it isn't something that's been going on. I only met her today, and I promise it was only a spur-of-the-moment, one-time thing."

"Answer me one question, Dallas. Did you have sex with her?" she asked, voice low and pained. He winced, looking down at the floor. Austin took that as a yes, moving to push past Ally, but she held him back.

"I want to hear him say it. Dallas, look at me."

"Ally, I-"

"Just look me in the eye, and tell me the truth. Did you have sex with the woman I heard on the phone?" she asked. He breathed out, and then nodded.

"Yes. I had sex with her." He said honestly. Ally nodded, feeling her eyes water.

"Then we're over." She breathed, before turning, shoving past Austin, and running up the stairs and back into the bedroom.

Austin turned to his brother and slowly started making his way down the stairs.

"All these years, I've wanted nothing more than to get along with my big brother. But now, I wish I'd never even met you. You should be ashamed of yourself. The rest of your family sure as hell are." He muttered lowly. Dallas glanced at him mother, who nodded once.

"I really am sorry…"

"It's not us you should be apologising to, son. It's Ally. And none of us are going to forgive you until she does." Addison said softly, seriously, before turning on her heel and walking away.

"I'm glad mom's gone. Now I can do this." Austin muttered. Dallas opened his mouth to ask him what, but Austin cut him off with a swift uppercut to the jaw. Dallas wailed in pain and Austin smiled smugly.

"See you around, 'bro'."

"Why do you even care so much?" Dallas stammered out as Austin started up the stairs. He stopped, frowning. He honestly had no idea how to answer that question. Not that he didn't _know _the answer, but he couldn't really tell Dallas that he was falling in love with his fiancé.

"Because Ally is an amazing girl. And she deserves better." He said, which was the truth, but not the right truth. Dallas looked up at him.

"She's not a girl, Austin. She's a woman. Don't forget that."

"Never."

And then Austin was up the stairs, and his brother was left nursing his bruised jaw.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Ally woke up the next morning alone in the king sized bed. She looked around her and smiled. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the bright sunlight was lighting up the room in a particular way that just made her want to smile, despite all of the crappy things that had happened to her yesterday.

Sighing loudly, she sat up and stretched. Clambering out of bed she realised that she had slept in the clothes she was wearing the day before. She rummaged through her drawers until she found a pair of red skinny jeans and a stripy monochrome shirt. Finally she grabbed a pair of matching black pants and bra and headed for the bathroom.

After showering and dressing, she decided to spend extra-long on her hair and make-up. Dallas always used to hate it when she took ages, but Dallas was out of the picture, at least for a while, so she revelled in the freedom to take as long as she pleased.

An hour and a half later, she had perfectly curled her hair, and dragged it up into a high ponytail. She was also wearing a flowery headband, and had left a few strands fall loosely to frame her face. She'd put on some eyeliner, which she hadn't worn for years, a lot more mascara than she usually wore and some lip-gloss. She loved the feeling of having lip-gloss on. Dallas hated it, said he didn't like to taste it when he kissed her, but again, she didn't have to worry about that anymore. Finally, she slipped on a pair of black dolly shoes and a red leather jacket to match her jeans and stepped outside the room, almost running smack-bang into Austin.

He jumped backwards, opening his mouth to apologise, but froze. He looked her up and down, gulping. She smirked.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Sorry, I'm just…surprised. You look…totally different." He breathed. She smiled, fighting back a shiver. The way he was looking at her scared her, frankly.

"Wow, Austin, you were totally just checking me out." She laughed. She wasn't sure if it was the freedom from Dallas or just the new look, but she felt a lot more confident than usual.

"So what if I was? I'm sure you've checked me out a few times. And you probably dream about me naked…" he shrugged cockily. She rolled her eyes.

"Please, that's not even legal…" she scoffed. He smiled.

"Actually, as of five-thirty this morning, it _is _legal." He corrected her. She frowned, momentarily bewildered, before remembering.

"Oh, yeah! I totally forgot! Happy birthday Austin!" she exclaimed, reaching over to hug him. He hugged her back, breathing in subconsciously. She smelled like…strawberries, and sugar and a little hint of mint. He loved that smell.

"Thanks Ally." He smiled gratefully.

"So, what are you doing to celebrate?"

"Well, I was planning to have a family meal, spend some time with the people I love, but…"

"Considering what happened yesterday, that's probably not the best idea." She sighed.

"Yeah, but I'll figure something out. It's not that important anyway." He shrugged. Her eyes widened.

"Not that important? Austin, this is your eighteenth birthday! Of course it's important!" she cried. He laughed.

"Well, what do you suggest I do?"

"I don't know, but you have to do something good. Can't you, I don't know, go out with friends or something?"

"I don't really have any friends…"

"What? But I thought you were always out all night, partying and picking up girls? How can you do that alone?"

"Quite easily, but I do have Dez…he's not really a friend, though. We only ever see each other when we're clubbing." He shrugged.

"Well, do you find it fun to go clubbing?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then that's what you should do. I'm sure Dez would love to, whoever he is, whether you're really friends or not." She suggested. He thought for a second, and then shrugged.

"I think I'd rather just stay here and be with my family. Maybe I'll go out tomorrow, but I'm not really in the mood today."

"Well, that might change before tonight, but if you're sure…" she conceded, following him as he started down the stairs. They walked into the family room together, but stopped when they saw that Dallas was asleep on the couch. Well, they thought he was asleep, but as they turned to leave he spoke.

"Ally, can I speak to you please?" he asked.

"Erm, how 'bout no?" she scoffed. He sat up, looking at her pleadingly.

"Please, Ally." He begged. She glanced at Austin, who was shaking his head, but gave in. She loved him, after all.

"Fine. You have five minutes."

"I meant alone…" he said, looking pointedly at Austin. Ally sighed.

"Go on, Austin. Go find your mom, I'm sure she wants to wish you a happy birthday." She told him. Dallas frowned.

"It's your birthday?" he asked.

"Yeah, but don't say 'happy birthday' to me, else I might just have to punch you. Again." Austin warned. Dallas raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. Austin walked out, muttering to himself under his breath.

"Well, now that we're alone…Ally, I just wanted to say I'm really, really sorry." He said earnestly. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Dallas, you think an apology is going to fix this?"

"No, I don't."

"Good, because it's not. Nothing is going to fix this."

"Come on, Ally. I don't think that's true. It's going to take a lot, I know, but surely there must be some way I can fix this? We can't be over for good, Als. I love you too much."

"Yeah, well, I love you too. Or at least, I love the guy I thought you were. But since we got here, we've had more than one issue. I mean, if this was just one isolated incident maybe I could consider letting it go, but this isn't the first time we've had any kind of fall-out this vacation. Besides, Dallas, this is the biggest violation of my trust you could have possibly made."

"I really am sorry, Ally. It never should have happened, I just gave into temptation one time…it was a mistake."

"You're damn right it was a mistake!" she shouted, getting up to storm out. Dallas followed her, grabbing her wrist. They stopped, in the middle of the hall.

"Look, Ally, I'm not trying to make excuses. But you have to know, maybe it wouldn't have happened if we had, you know…" she was confused for a second but then she got it. And when she did, she was disgusted. Yanking her hand away, she scowled at him.

"Oh, you did _not _just say that you wouldn't have _cheated _on me if I'd _had sex with you._"

"Well, I wouldn't have."

"So, you're saying this is my fault?" she yelled, disbelieving. Addison, Austin and Charlotte ran out of the kitchen, looking wary.

"No, not completely….but we've been together for five years, Ally, you can't really blame me for giving in to temptation once." He shrugged. She reddened, but surprisingly she didn't cry.

"You said you didn't mind waiting, Dallas. You always told me that you would wait until I was ready. How dare you try to use my refusal to put out as an excuse for your unfaithfulness?" she yelled. Addison and Charlotte both reddened with anger, while Austin stood frozen in shock. He had had no idea that Ally was a virgin…at least, he assumed she was. No girl would refuse to put out for _five years _if she had done so before.

"Dallas, tell me you didn't…" said Charlotte, sounding pained. He glanced at his mother.

"Charlotte, I…"

"Enough. I've heard enough of this crap. Dallas, I love you, but I really don't like you right now. I want you out of my house within the next five minutes or I will tell your father what happened and you can deal with him." Addison said calmly. Dallas glanced from Charlotte to Addison to Ally once, and then sighed and walked away from them, out the front door. A minute later they heard a car start. Nobody dared to breathe until they could no longer hear the engine.

"Well, that was…"

"Horrible." Charlotte finished her mother's sentence, then ran over to give Ally a hug.

"I am so sorry, Ally. Mom explained to me what happened, and I can't believe what he just said! I never realised that he was such a dick! Well, I guess what we saw with him and Austin all of those years wasn't just a temporary lapse of judgement. He really is a jerk."

"Please, Charlotte, I don't want you to turn against your brother over me…"

"Nonsense, of course I'm going to. He doesn't get to do something like that and get away with it, even if he is my brother." She shrugged. Ally smiled, grateful not to lose all of the amazing people she was growing to love.

"Well, now that things have calmed down a little, does anyone want pancakes?" Addison offered.

"Me!" Austin was the first to reply, grinning widely. Addison chuckled, looking at me.

"No matter how old he gets, he'll always be a little kid at heart." She chuckled, shaking her head.

"My dad always used to say that about me." Ally sighed, smiling.

"Do you like pancakes too?"

"Not particularly, but I love pickles. And I still drink with a straw, and talk to myself and animals. Oh, and until I moved in with Dallas, I slept with a teddy bear…yeah, I'm a child at heart." She explained, blushing a little when she realised she had just spilled some of her most embarrassing secrets. Charlotte and Addison laughed, while Austin stared at her, a slightly awed look on his face.

"Erm, Austin, are you okay…?" she asked. He smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're just like a totally different person now…actually, not totally different, just more…"

"Open?" suggested Charlotte. He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, that's it. Open." The way he looked at her then made Ally feel like he wasn't just looking at her, he was looking inside her, at her soul, even. It made her knees go a little weak. She laughed weakly.

"I think the pancake fumes are going to my head." She said nervously. Addison and Charlotte laughed, walking into the kitchen. Ally followed, ending up stood next to Austin, who then decided to lean down and whisper in her ear;

"The pancakes aren't even cooking yet."

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Austin, Ally, Addison, Alice and Charlotte decided to go out to celebrate Austin's birthday. They left the house bursting with ideas and suggestions on how to make this the best birthday Austin had ever had.

They went to the park first, on Alice's suggestion, to feed the ducks. Ally thought maybe Austin would find this lame but he really made the most of it, running around with his little sister, throwing half his bread into the water and half at everyone else. Ally squealed when he threw a chunk at her, a little embarrassed to find that it had gone into her bra. Austin noticed her fiddling with it and trying to get it out and laughed, really, truly laughed. He actually had to sit down on the bench by the side of the pond to calm himself down, and once he managed to stop and get to his feet, one glance at Ally and he was off again.

Ally exacted her revenge, however, when she saw him crouching down to throw some bread into the pond. Sneaking up behind him, she counted to three and shouted 'Boo!' really loudly. He screamed like a girl and jumped to his feet, slipping on the wet grass and falling straight into the pond. Now it was Ally's turn to collapse with laughter.

Once he had dried himself off, Addison made a suggestion and they went to the movies to watch 'Sinister', the latest horror movie. Only, it was a fifteen, so Addison and Charlotte took Alice to see 'Hotel Transylvania' while Austin and Ally went in to watch the horror. Ally hated horror movies, but not because they scared her, as Austin found out. She spent the entire movie fake-yawning and whispering in his ear about 'special effects' and 'make-up', so much so that Austin could have filmed his own horror movie by the end of it. He didn't mind, though he pretended to, because having Ally whispering in his ear in a dark, hot room half-fulfilled one of his darkest fantasies…

They went to the ice-skating rink afterwards,(Charlotte's idea). Ice-skating was one of the few things Austin Moon was bad at, and one of the fewer things that Austin was bad at but Ally Dawson was good at. As soon as they hit the ice, Ally was off, skating backwards and forwards, jumping, spinning and generally making Austin look bad. When he eventually managed to get to his feet and skate halfway across the ice, Ally accidentally-on-purpose crashed into him, sending them both falling to the ground. Austin spent the rest of their time on the ice trying to catch up with her to do the same, but with no luck.

After that, Ally suggested that they go for something to eat, since it was almost seven and they hadn't eaten since breakfast. They all agreed that it was a good idea and let Austin choose the restaurant. He wanted to go to IHOP, but Addison put her foot down, saying that they were not eating pancakes for dinner. He tried to explain to her that IHOP sold lunch and dinner too, but she wasn't having it. So they found a fancy Italian restaurant that Austin claimed to have eaten at before, and they found a table.

Dinner was uneventful, except for an incident with an over-flirtatious waiter and an 'accidental' forkful of pasta hitting him in the face. Austin blamed his little sister, but, as Ally was quick to point out, he was the only one eating pasta.

When they got home, they found an answerphone message from Charlotte's friend. She was in some kind of trouble and needed to be picked up from somewhere. Charlotte had been drinking so Addison had to drive her, so they had to leave. Alice was shattered, so Austin put her to bed while Ally made them both hot cocoa.

"Mmm, that smells delicious." Austin commented as he walked into the kitchen.

"Why thank you. Hot cocoa is one of my specialties…"

"Really?" he asked. She scoffed.

"If 'specialties' means 'few things I can cook' then yeah, it is." She joked. Austin chuckled as they headed into the lounge with their drinks. Austin turned on the TV, letting Ally choose what to watch since he had forced her to sit through Sinister. She grinned when she saw what was on, selecting it. Austin furrowed his brow, not sure whether she seriously wanted to watch this or just wanted to annoy him.

"Scooby Doo? Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course! Scooby Doo is a classic. Now shush, I love this episode." She said, and he couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness of her expression.

Eventually, after four episodes of Scooby and one of SpongeBob, they shut off the TV and went upstairs. Austin followed Ally into her room, flopping down on the bed and groaning.

"It's so not fair that you get such a comfortable bed when _I'm_ the one that lived here." He complained. She chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I am the guest. Anyway, I am really sorry I didn't get you a present, it just totally slipped my mind, and…"

"It's okay, Charlotte forgot to get me one too. She gave me money instead, and mom gave me money anyway. I'm not really bothered, we've only known each other for a week." He shrugged. She frowned, shaking her head.

"It's not okay, I was told it was your birthday, I should have got you a gift. I can give you money too, if you want…" she offered, rummaging through her purse already. Austin shook his head.

"No, I don't want your money."

"Austin, please, I want to give you something."

"Okay, fine. You can give me a present. But I don't want your money."

"What do you want then?"

"I want…I want you to kiss me."

**Don't hate me. Oh, what the hell, hate me if you want, just REVIEW! Please? :D**


	10. Birthday Present

**Here you go guys! I hope you like this chapter!**

**Omg, I just watched the newest episode of A&A and OMG, I swear my heart actually stopped beating when they held hands for that bungee jump! Fangirl much? I swear, it was sooooooooo cute! and that Brooke girl...am I the only one that desperately wanted her to fall off teh bridge? Is that mean? I don't think so...**

**Any of you who might be reading this from NY or NJ or anywhere thats been affected by Hurricane Sandy, I hope you're all okay and I'm praying for you all, even though I'm not religious...I hope everything is okay for everyone! :/ **

**This chapter is dedicated to anyone who has been affected by Sandy, you guys need to stay strong and you'll pull through! nothing is as bad as it seems. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 10

"W-What?" Ally stuttered. Austin smirked.

"You heard me."

"A k-kiss? Really?"

"Yup. On the lips. Just once."

"Why?"

"I think you know why, Ally?" he muttered, expression suddenly serious. She sighed.

"I don't know…"

"Come on, it is my birthday, and you forgot to get me a present…" he teased. She groaned.

"Screw it." She walked over and sat next to him on the bed. He grinned wolfishly.

"I knew you'd come around."

"Yeah, well, I can't exactly say no to the birthday boy, can I?"

"No, no you can't." he whispered, leaning in. Her breath caught and she had to remind herself to breathe.

And then he closed the gap, and she could have sworn she was on _fire. _Her entire body heated up and she had to fight to keep from pulling away, gasping in shock. She had promised him a kiss, after all, and a quick peck probably wasn't the kind of kiss he was after.

Austin knew it was wrong, that his brother still loved this girl and that he definitely shouldn't be making a move on her like this, but sometimes you've just got to go with your heart and ignore your head. After a few seconds he decided to take a risk and he opened him mouth to bite her lip. She gasped a little, bit didn't pull away, and he took that as an opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth.

Ally really, desperately wanted to pull away, but it was taking all of her willpower not to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless, and some new, slightly _crazy _side of her refused to let go. She gasped at the sensation of his teeth on her lower lip, and then sighed as he deepened the kiss with his tongue, returning the favour easily. If his mouth hadn't been otherwise engaged, he would have smirked at her eagerness, but he wasn't going to ruin this moment for the sake of his pride.

Eventually, Ally couldn't go a second longer without breathing and she forced herself to pull away. She blinked dazedly, a little lightheaded. From the lack of oxygen, of course…

"Wow." Austin breathed. She looked up at him, smiling a little.

"That was…intense." She muttered, blushing. He chuckled.

"That was the best birthday present ever. Your lips taste like strawberries." He said matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes.

"It's my lip gloss. And I'm sure you've had much more, erm…_exciting _birthday presents than that, Austin." She commented dryly.

"Yeah, but those 'presents' weren't from you, so they weren't nearly as awesome." He shrugged. She froze, realising the implications of that comment.

"No, Austin." She said sternly. He looked up at her, frowning.

"'No' what?"

"No _this. _Whatever _this _is. That kiss…that was just a birthday present, okay? It can't happen again. You're only eighteen, and even though it's legal now, it's still morally wrong. I love Dallas, and even though I don't think we can fix our relationship, I can't move on to his little brother, not now and not ever." She said, fighting back tears. Saying these things hurt her, and she knew they would hurt Austin even more, but she knew she had to, for both of their sakes. Austin grimaced, looking pained.

"But-"

"No buts, Austin. As much as I want to, I can't. I'll stay here for another week, tops, but then I have to go home. Back to Miami, back to my life. This vacation has been amazing, but I can't stay here forever. I'll come back and visit, but I need to move on from Dallas, Austin. And dating his little brother isn't going to help with that."

"Ally, don't do this." He pleaded. She sighed, almost giving in due to the look of devastation on his face, but then she shook her head.

"I need you to leave, Austin." She said quietly.

"Ally-"

"Now!" she shouted, feeling her eye watering. Austin noticed this, and sighed.

"Okay, I'm going. But trust me, Ally. I'm not giving up. Not now, not ever." He promised her as he left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

She stared at the closed door for a moment or two, just thinking. And then she burst into tears.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

The next morning, Ally was up bright and early. She took one look in the mirror and groaned. She hadn't removed her make-up from the night before and her panda eyes were atrocious. Knowing that there was no alternative, she grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. She had planned to shower later that day, wanting to get out of the house early to avoid Austin, but she couldn't leave without showering.

Because her plan to get out early was foiled, she decided to take as long as she possibly could to get ready, hoping that Austin might have left by the time she was done, but three hours twenty minutes after she had woken up, she walked into the kitchen to see Austin sat there, wolfing down pancakes. Things wouldn't have been so bad had he been _wearing a shirt. _

She inwardly groaned as her heart rate sped up at the sight. Austin glanced up, smirking at her reddening cheeks. Of course, he had gone shirtless on purpose for exactly this reason. He knew he looked good, with clothes and without.

"You know, it's almost eleven o'clock, Austin. Surely you had time to get dressed before coming down to eat?" she asked. The truth was, he had been down here for almost two hours, steadily working through a stack of pancakes large enough to feed an army, because he hadn't wanted to miss her. But she didn't have to know that.

"I slept in." he shrugged. She sighed.

"Don't you have, I don't know, school or something?" she muttered. He laughed loudly.

"School? Please, I dropped out when I was sixteen." He shrugged. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Of course you did."

"So, what are you doing today?"

"I have no idea." She shrugged.

"Great, we can hang out." He said, grinning. She sighed, turning around to face him.

"Look, Austin, I appreciate you trying to act like everything is okay, but we both know it's not. Are you sure that the two of us spending the day together is a good idea?" she asked cynically.

"I'm not trying to act like everything's okay, Ally. It hurts that you won't give me a chance. I don't want things to change with us. At least, not too much. But like I said, I'm not going to give up. So maybe for you, it's not the best idea to spend the day with me, but it's up to you. How strong is your willpower?" he asked, smirking. She smiled back, glad to see he wasn't upset with her.

"I think I can manage to resist you. At least for a day." She shrugged. He laughed, jumping to his feet and stretching. She caught herself staring and blushed, turning away hurriedly and speed-walking out of the kitchen. She heard him chuckle as he followed her out.

"So, where are we going?"

"My room."

"Why?" she asked, cautious. He smirked.

"Why, Ally Dawson, are you thinking dirty?" he asked, faking shock. She slapped his arm playfully.

"What are you planning, Moon?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I was _planning _on playing Halo, but if you wanted to do something else…" he shrugged. She ignored him.

"Halo it is then." He muttered, a little disappointed.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

And that was how the next few days went. Austin would do everything he could to tempt Ally, and Ally would blow him off, no matter how tempted she was. He was surprised, really. He'd thought she would have caved a lot more easily.

Thursday night came around and Austin and Ally had been arguing about whose team was going to win the sing-off. Austin secretly knew that his team had no chance, but he fought with her anyway. He loved seeing her get all riled up; it turned him on. When Ally eventually got sick of arguing she sighed in defeat and said goodnight. Austin watched her leave, confused by her sudden change of attitude. He watched in disappointment as she jogged up the stairs. Suddenly, she stopped, turning to look at him.

"We're gonna win!" she shouted quickly, and before he had time to react she was darting across the hallway and slamming her bedroom door shut behind her. He chuckled softly to himself, before following her up the stairs. Ally laughed loudly as she shut the door, but the chuckles died in her throat when she turned around and saw Dallas sat on the bed.

"Hey Ally." He said. She scowled at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, voice low and venomous.

"I came to apologise, again, and ask you to please, _please _try to forgive me."

"For what? For cheating on me, or for making out like it was _my fault _you cheated on me?" she asked. He winced.

"Both, I guess."

"Well, looks like you're out of look. I told you, Dallas, we're over."

"Ally, things aren't that simple. It doesn't work like that, not now. We're engaged. You can't just tell me we're over and that's it, we're finished for good." He protested. She frowned, looking thoughtful.

"You know what? You're right." She sighed, walking over to the bed slowly. He smiled, holding out his arms for a hug. She scowled, walking past him and opening the top drawer of the dresser.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she straightened up. She smiled.

"Here's your engagement ring. I never really liked it anyway. You know I don't like big, flashy things." She muttered, throwing the ring onto the bed. He looked at her, then at the ring, and then at the door which had just opened. Austin stood there, smiling at Ally, but his expression changed to one of anger when he saw Dallas.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, voice low.

"He's just leaving, Austin. Calm down." Ally said, glancing at him pointedly. Austin sighed, shaking his head, but he left the room anyway. Ally looked back at Dallas, who looked shocked and angry.

"Oh my God. I can't _believe _you, Ally." He muttered. She frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"Look, I know you were hurt, but really? My _brother? _That's low, Ally." He said. Ally finally understood what he was saying, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, you did not just accuse me of hooking up with Austin." She murmured. Dallas scoffed.

"Well, did you?"

"Of course not! What do you take me for? Some kind of slut?" she shouted. He rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, Ally. It seems to me like ever since we got here, you've changed. For the worse."

"Really? _I'm _the one that's changed? That's rich, considering that the Dallas I used to now would have _never, ever _even _considered _cheating on me!" she yelled. He frowned.

"And the Ally I used to know would have understood that it was a stupid mistake and gotten over it!"

"Yeah, you're right, she probably would have. But I'm not that girl anymore, Dallas. I'm smarter now. And there is no way in hell I am ever going to forgive you for what you did."

"Well then you're an idiot! I love you, Ally. I love you so much it hurts! And you love me too, I know you do!" he shouted, getting to his feet and advancing towards her. She held her ground, not wanting to show any signs of backing down. They stood nose to nose, breathing deeply.

"I am no idiot. I am a smart, independent young woman who does _not _need a stupid love-rat fiancé to be happy."

"Tell me you don't love me, Ally. Tell me that, and I'll leave you alone." He whispered.

"I can't tell you that, Dallas, because I do love you. That's why it hurt so much. And I'm not going to risk hurting myself like that again."

"I can change your mind." he whispered. She opened her moth to ask him how, but he cut her off by kissing her. She froze in surprise, and he took that as a sign for him to continue, which he did, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. She unfroze and found herself kissing back, because she loved him, and because it was normal, it was _safe. _Dallas was _safe. _At least, he was. Until he cheated on her. Until he broke her heart. She tasted saltwater and wondered why Dallas was crying, before realising that he wasn't. She was. And that was enough to make her push him away, gasping for breath.

"Don't ever do that again, Dallas. Next time, I slap you." She said lowly, wiping her face. He sighed.

"Please, Ally. I'm so, _so _sorry."

"I'm sorry too. Sorry that I ever thought you could be the guy for me. I never should have let myself fall in love with you. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be feeling like this right now. We're over, Dallas. Forever. And nothing you can say or do will change that."

"Fine. I guess I'll go then." He conceded, looking a little daze. She nodded.

"I think that would be best." She choked out through the tears. She watched him walk out of the room, listened as he jogged down the stairs. She winced slightly as the front door slammed shut a little too loudly, running out to the balcony to watch him drive off. She sighed, looking down, not knowing what to do. And then she saw her car. Well, not _her _car. The car she had rented. But still, it was hers until she went home to Miami, and she could do what she wanted with it.

Grabbing a jacket and her purse, she ran out of her room, down the stairs, out the front door and over to her car. Clambering in, she slammed to door and rummaged through her bag for the keys. She sighed in relief when she found them, starting the engine and pulling out of the driveway, heading in the direction that Austin had taken her the other night, when they had gone to that club. She sighed at the memory, of how relieved she was to see Dallas. So much had changed since then.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

After a few wrong turns and a stop at a gas station to fix her make-up, Ally made it to the club. She smiled in relief at the familiar neon sign, muttering under her breath.

"Green."

She transferred the money from her purse into her pocket and made her way to the front of the queue, where luckily it was the same bouncer that had been there last time. He recognised her and waved her inside. At first she was shy, finding a seat at the bar and avoiding eye contact.

"What can I do you for?" asked the bartender, eyeing her up and down a little suspiciously. She realised that she was only wearing a short black skirt and a white blouse with cherries on it.

"Anything with alcohol in it." She muttered. He smiled sympathetically.

"Bad day?"

"The worst."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe after a few drinks." She said flirtatiously. He laughed, winking at her.

"Well then this one's on the house."

"Thanks, but you don't have to do that. I'll pay." She protested, taking a few dollar bills out of her pocket. He shook his head.

"No pretty single woman like you should have to buy her own drink." He said. She smiled, deciding to go along with it. She'd never had anyone flirt with her before, after all. And so far, it was pretty cool.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

As it turned out, she didn't have to pay for any of her own drinks. There wasn't one moment when there wasn't a guy trying to flirt with her, or offering to buy her a drink. She started off with vodka and coke, moving on to cocktails on about her third drink. One guy even bought her shots, but after one she vowed never to drink a shot again.

One o'clock found her on the dance floor, grinding against some tall, stocky blonde guy who stank of beer and BO. The song changed, but she didn't notice. Eventually she stumbled back over to the bar, panting for breath, to take a drink of her latest drink. She didn't even know what it was, but she didn't care. It was alcohol, and that was all that mattered. She went to sit down but missed the seat, laughing as she tried, and failed, to get back to her feet.

She giggled loudly as a pair of hands wrapped around her arms and pulled her to her feet. She turned around, smiling goofily, to see her saviour. He was tall and lanky, freckled and ginger-haired.

"Hellooo herooo. Whatsss your name?" She slurred, making him wince at the stench.

"I'm Dez, and you're drunk." He muttered.

"Just a little." She said, making a pinching motion to show exactly how drunk she was. He laughed a little, guiding her towards the exit.

"Are you Ally, by any chance?"

"Oh my God, are you sick?"

"Huh?" he asked confused.

"You knew my name! You must be sick!" she gasped. He laughed, rolling his eyes.

"You mean psychic?"

"Yeah, sick!" she mumbled, fighting to keep her eyes open as he led her out into the quiet of the night.

"No, I'm not."

"Then how do you know my name?" she asked quietly, barely conscious.

"Austin told me your name. I'm helping him find you." He said. She smiled, drifting off.

"That was nice of him. Is he sick too?" she muttered. Dez chuckled softly, and that was the last thing she heard before falling into a deep sleep.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

She woke up to the feeling of someone running a hand through her hair softly. She smiled, rolling over on the bed to face him.

"Mmm, Dallas…" she muttered, nuzzling into his side. The hand stopped and she looked up, confused.

"Wrong brother, Ally." Austin said bitterly. She smiled hazily.

"Even better." She commented, still slurring slightly, but nowhere near as drunk as she was before. He smiled a little.

"I'm guessing you were drinking vodka, because your breath doesn't smell overly offensive." He commented dryly. She smiled a little sheepishly.

"Yeah…"

"I thought you didn't drink?"

"I don't usually, but Dallas pissed me off, and-"

"I heard that. I wasn't eavesdropping, but you guys were shouting pretty loud…"

"Oh God, who else was in the house?" she asked, horrified.

"No-one, luckily. And no-one is now. Everyone's out doing something or other."

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Three o'clock. Alice and Charlotte are at friend's houses, my parents had to go out to Grand Prairie to visit my Grandma who was just admitted to the hospital, and Dallas…well, he's not exactly coming back." He informed her. She sighed, snuggling closer to him.

"I'm glad we're alone." She muttered. He froze, but she could hear his heartbeat speed up from where her ear was pressed against his chest.

"W-why?" he asked cautiously, making her smirk. This was the first time that she had eve managed to make him nervous.

"Because, if we weren't, I wouldn't be able to do this…" she whispered. And then she kissed him.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Ally groaned as her eyes fluttered open, burying her head in the pillow. Her head was pounding and she felt achy all over. She just wanted to go back to sleep. But there was a problem with that. She needed to pee. Like, desperately. Sighing, she pushed herself up push-up style. And nearly had a heart attack as s weight she hadn't noticed before dropped off her back and she realised that she was naked. Completely naked.

Eyes wide, she looked to one side. Her clothes were strewn across the floor beside the bed. Along with a very familiar pair of black skinny jeans. And she could just about see a glimpse of red peeking out from under the bed. Red that kind of resembled the colour of the shirt Austin had been wearing the night before.

Now in full-on freak out mode, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, realising that not only was her head banging and her entire body achy, there was a brand-new, unfamiliar pain, you know, _down there…_

Finally gathering up the courage to turn her head, she groaned loudly. On the pillow next to her, eyes closed and mouth slightly open, was Austin Moon. His eyelids fluttered at her groan but he didn't wake up. He did, however, move his arm back onto her back and pulled her closer to him, making her all-too-aware of the fact that she wasn't the only one without any clothes on.

Gasping at the way this revelation made her feel, she pulled away, clambering out of the bed and grabbing her clothes, accidentally kicking the nightstand. Austin jolted awake, sitting up in the bed, looking a little panicked. And then he saw Ally glance back at him, wide-eyed, and then dart across the room into the bathroom. He shook his head, unsure if he was dreaming or not, and then smirked at the image of naked Ally as she ran into the bathroom. And then he groaned as he remembered what had happened.

Ally had been drunk, and she had kissed him. And he had _let her. _He'd always prided himself on never taking advantage of a drunken girl before, and he planned to keep that up for the rest of his life, no matter what happened. But now he had broken that promise, and to make things even worse, he had taken advantage of _Ally. _The first girl he'd ever had any feelings for that went further than just lust.

"Congratulations, Austin. You've really gone and fucked this one up, haven't you." He chided himself.

Sighing, he climbed out of the bed and gathered his clothes, dressing quickly. He wanted to be out of the room before Ally came out, so that he didn't have to see the anger and hurt on her face. He knew it would be there. After all, he had taken advantage of her. She was going to hate him. This was the first time she'd ever been drunk, and he'd totally screwed her over.

Sighing, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he mixed some pancake mix.

Ally left the bathroom, relieved to see that Austin had gone, and glanced in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and, once again, her make-up was everywhere. She deliberated getting a shower, but she knew that she should go find Austin. It was the right thing to do.

She smiled softly as she walked into the kitchen as the smell of syrup and pancakes hit her. Austin glanced at her, instantly dropping what he was doing and stepping towards her.

"Ally, I am really, really sorry. I shouldn't have done that, you were drunk and I took advantage of you. You have no idea how sorry I am. I mean, that was your first time and you probably don't even remember it, I've totally ruined things, I am so sorry!. I told you I wouldn't give up but I swear, I wasn't planning any of this, and I-"

"If you say you're sorry one more time, I swear I am going to slap you." She cut him off. He shut his mouth, looking apologetic.

"Thank you. Look, Austin, I'm not mad. It was my fault as much as it was yours. And trust me, I do remember it. It took me a little while, but then everything came back. And I don't regret it, I promise. So don't be sorry. And don't beat yourself up about it." She reassured him. He frowned, still looking guilty.

"That's not the point. The point is, you were drunk and I took advantage of that."

"Austin," she stopped him, looking into his eyes, "I wasn't that drunk."

And then she kissed him again, and they both knew that everything was going to be okay.

Until Charlotte walked in, that is.

**Hahaa, cliffhanger...sort-of. Not as bad as last week, though, right? Did you love it?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :)**


	11. Huge News

**Heyy guys! **

**Here's a treat for you! This chapter is about 200-300 words longer than usual...maybe not the best treat, but it's better than usual, right? Thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter! I love you guys, you are all SO amazing...**

**More drama in this chapter...I apologise to those who don't like drama, but it's not too bad for Auslly...you'll understand when you read it :)**

**Hope you like it, and please REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line, sadly. :(**

Chapter 11

"Whoa. Now this is something I wasn't expecting." Charlotte said, eyes wide. Austin and Ally jumped apart, eyes widening.

"Charlotte! Erm…what are you doing here?" asked Austin, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. She rolled her eyes but Ally could see she wasn't upset or angry.

"I live here, remember?" she said. Austin smiled, no idea what to say.

"That wasn't what it looked like." Ally said. Charlotte snorted, walking over to the counter to open the cupboard and pull out the Lucky Charms.

"Really? Because it looked like the two of you were making out in the kitchen. Care to offer me some other explanation?"

"Well, no, that's what we were doing. But this hasn't been going on." Ally told her. Charlotte smiled, pouring milk on her cereal and moving to the table to sit down.

"Why would I care if it has? You and Dallas are over, remember?" she shrugged.

"So, you don't find this weird at all?"

"Weird? Ally, sweetie, this is absolutely completely fucking cray-cray. But whatever, I guess. I mean, it's not hard to see that you guys like each other. Like, a lot. And ever since you got here, Austin hasn't been out all night partying or whatever once, except that one time that you were with him. And he's been much less of a jackass overall. Just…don't tell everyone yet. Mom and dad might find it a little difficult to comprehend…"

"But you're okay with it?"

"I'm not completely sure what 'it' is, but yeah, I'm okay with it." She shrugged. Ally grinned, relieved.

"Thank you, Charlotte."

"No problem. Look, Ally, you're always going to be my sister, whether you're with Dallas, Austin or neither of them." She smiled. Ally grinned, hugging her quickly, before turning to grin at Austin and then run out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Thanks, Charlotte. You're the best."

"No worries. Oh, by the way, if you screw with her the way Dallas did, I'll suffocate you in your sleep." She said cheerily. Austin laughed, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, if I hurt her, I'll kill myself before you get chance to." He sighed. Then he followed Ally up the stairs.

Austin barged in without knocking, making Ally squeal as she was half-undressed. Holding her shirt up to hide herself, she glared at Austin.

"There's this new thing called knocking. You should try it sometime." She hissed. He laughed, closing the door behind him and advancing on her.

"Maybe…but I kinda like what happens when I don't knock…" he said, looking her up and down. She pulled the shirt closer to her body and he laughed.

"Austin, go away, I need to shower." She said sternly. He laughed.

"Come on, you don't need to hide from me. I saw _everything _last night…"

"Yeah, well, I was drunk." She shrugged.

"You said it yourself, Ally…you weren't _that _drunk." He breathed, closing the gap so that they were stood right in front of each other, so that Ally was craning her neck to look into his eyes. She pouted.

"It's not fair that you're three years younger than me and I'm the one who has to look up at you." She muttered, starting to move away. Austin grabbed her waist, pulling her close to him, and kissed her. She kissed him back, dropping the shirt to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Mmm, that is so sexy…" he murmured. She snorted against his lips, pulling away to kiss his jaw, then down to his neck.

"What is?" she asked between kisses.

"You without a shirt on." He answered her, stifling a groan as she hit a sweet spot on his neck. She laughed, moving her head back up to kiss him properly. He bit her lip, making her groan, and she moved her hands to the hem of his shirt to pull it off. He laughed as they pulled apart to get it over his head.

"I thought you needed to shower?" he asked her, eyebrows raised. She paused, then leant forward and sniffed loudly.

"Hmm, you smell. You should get a shower too." She said, smirking.

Suffice to say, that was the best shower Ally ever had…

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"I'm so pumped for this thing; we are so going to beat your ass!" Ally cried as they got out of the car outside the Youth Club. Austin just laughed and shook his head.

"Sure, whatever. Come on, let's go find everyone."

The rounded up Monica, Heath, Kenny and Ty in the lunch room. They'd been a little, erm…distracted, and gotten there at lunchtime, later than usual, but the kids were all too excited to care about tardiness.

"When are we performing?" asked Monica excitedly, after everyone was over the shock of seeing her jump up and hug Ally in the middle of the lunch room. Ally beamed, shrugging her shoulders.

"We'll have to ask Bubba, but hopefully as soon as possible."

"How about after lunch?" Bubba suggested, walking up behind them. Ally turned to face him, nodding and smiling. It seemed that she couldn't _stop _smiling since they walked in. Everyone noticed a change in her, but no-one quite knew what had caused it. Except Austin, of course.

"That sounds great!"

"Good, so if we move the equipment you need into the main hall now, we should have room for everyone to sit and watch."

"Great. Come on, let's go get everything." Ally said enthusiastically.

Twenty minutes later, everything was set up and all the other kids at the club were taking their seats. Bubba grinned as Austin, Ty and Kenny made sure their instruments were in tune and everyone quietened down.

"Hey guys. For those of you who don't know, I'm Austin, and I'm sure you all know Ty and Kenny. We're gonna perform the Maroon 5 song, She Will Be Loved, and then Ally, Monica and Heath are performing One More Night and it's up to you guys to vote for which was better. So, here goes, I guess." He said, glancing at Kenny and Ty to make sure they were ready. And then they started.

_Beauty queen of only eighteen_

_She had some trouble with herself_

_He was always there to help her_

_She always belonged to someone else_

_I drove for miles and miles_

_And wound up at your door_

_I've had you so many times_

_But somehow I want more_

_I don't mind spending every day_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

_Tap on my window knock on my door_

_I want to make you feel beautiful_

_I know I tend to get so insecure_

_It doesn't matter anymore_

_It's not always rainbows and butterflies_

_It's compromise that moves us along, yeah_

_My heart is full and my door's always open_

_You come anytime you want_

_I don't mind spending every day_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

_I know where you hide, alone in your car_

_Know all of the things that make you who you are_

_I know that goodbye means nothing at all_

_Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls, yeah_

_Tap on my window knock on my door_

_I want to make you feel beautiful_

_I don't mind spending every day_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

_(Please don't try so hard to say goodbye)_

_And she will be loved_

_Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_

_Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_

_(I don't mind spending every day)_

_(Out on your corner in the pouring rain)_

_Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_

Austin sang the entire song beautifully, perfectly in tune, despite the fact that after locking eyes with Ally at the last chorus he felt himself tear up and before it was over there were tears running down his face. Ally was crying too, although people were too busy clapping and cheering to notice her. Kenny blushed when Austin turned around to tell him that he 'killed it' with the backing vocals.

"Thanks, guys." Austin muttered as the three of them got up and went to swap seats with Ally and her team. Ally took her seat at the front and gulped, suddenly nervous.

"H-hey everyone. Austin already t-told you, we're singing One More Night. Hope you like it." She said, not sure if there was anything else she _could_ say, and then nodded at her teammates to begin.

_You and I go hard, at each other like we're going to war_

_You and I go rough; we keep throwing things and slammin' the door_

_You and I get so damn dysfunctional we stopped keeping score_

_You and I get sick, yeah I know that we can't do this no more_

_But baby there you again, there you again, making me love you_

_Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go_

_Got you stuck on my body, on my body, like a tattoo_

_And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid, crawling back to you_

_So I cross my heart and I hope to die_

_That I'll only stay with you one more night_

_And I know I've said it a million times_

_But I'll only stay with you one more night_

_Trying to tell you no, but my body keeps on telling you yes_

_Trying to tell you stop, but your lipstick got me so out of breath_

_I'd be waking up, in the morning probably hating myself_

_And I'd be waking up, feeling satisfied but guilty as hell_

_But baby there you go again, there you go again, making me love you_

_Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go_

_Got you stuck on my body, on my body, like a tattoo_

_And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid, crawling back to you_

_So I cross my heart and I hope to die, _

_That I'll only stay with you one more night_

_And I know I've said it a million times_

_But I'll only stay with you one more night_

_Yeah baby give me one more night_

_Yeah baby give me one more night_

_Yeah baby give me one more night_

_But baby there you again, there you again, making me love you_

_Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go_

_Got you stuck on my body, on my body, like a tattoo_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_So I cross my heart, and I hope to die, _

_That I'll only stay with you one more night_

_And I know I've said it a million times_

_But I'll only stay with you one more night_

_(Yeah baby give me one more night)_

_So I cross my heart, and I hope to die_

_That I'll only stay with you one more night_

_And I know I've said it a million times_

_But I'll only stay with you one more night…_

Austin grinned as everyone erupted into even louder applause, and Ally blushed. Monica and Heath high-fived, and then they both patted Ally on the back proudly. She grinned at Austin, and he nodded at her proudly.

"Okay, okay guys, calm down. So, let's vote. Everyone who thinks Austin, Ty and Kenny were best, move to this side of the room, and everyone who thinks that Ally, Monica and Heath were best, the other side." Bubba directed. Everyone did as they were told quietly and Ally grinned. It was obvious who had won.

"Well, I guess the winners are…Ally, Heath and Monica!" Bubba announced, and everyone started cheering and talking and laughing and suddenly everyone was talking to ally and everyone wanted to know if she was staying, if she was going to work there or what. She answered as many questions as she could but after a few minutes she started feeling a little overwhelmed and felt extremely grateful to Austin when he pulled her out of the fray and led her outside.

"You were so good. And you looked really sexy when you were singing." He told her huskily. She smiled, letting him push her back against the wall, and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"You looked pretty sexy yourself. I can't believe you really cried." She laughed. He shrugged.

"What can I say? You make me emotional."

"I think you're going soft on me." His eyebrows rose.

"Austin Moon, soft? Never."

"Sure, sure. Maybe you're just, I don't know, in touch with your feminine side?"

"I'll show you 'in touch with my feminine side'…" he muttered and then he kissed her, and she felt overwhelmed all over again, but this time it was a good feeling.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

They stumbled into the house together, out of breath from racing across the driveway. Ally laughed when Austin tripped her up and caught her.

"Saved your life." He whispered in her ear.

"Your medal is on its way." She replied. He laughed, kissing her on the cheek and helping her upright. They walked into the living room smiling, greeted by the curious faces of Addison, Tom and Alice.

"Hey mom, dad, Alice. What's up with you guys?" Austin asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch. Ally walked over and took a seat next to Addison, who smiled at her welcomingly.

"Dallas just called, Ally. He asked us to tell you that he's going back to Miami." Tom said, looking a little grim. Ally's face paled.

"What? Tonight?"

"No, tomorrow morning. He wanted to ask what you were planning to do, with the house and things."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm not really speaking to him right now, but could you call him back and tell him to sell the house and we can split the money fifty-fifty, and I want as much of my stuff as possible sent over here."

"Sure, I'll let him know. So, what are you planning to do?" Tom said, smiling. She smiled.

"Well, I've already been offered a job at the Youth Club, which I plan to take, and then I guess I'll find a place to move into." She shrugged. Addison grinned.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're staying in Dallas! I swear, if things hadn't happened like this and you had gone back to Miami with Dallas, I would have, missed you more than I would my own son!" she exclaimed. Ally smiled.

"Thanks, Addison. Erm…I know it's a lot to ask, but would you mind if I stayed here a little while longer? Just until I get all my stuff back and find my own place." She asked.

"Of course you can, silly! You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need!"

"Thanks, Addison. If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go upstairs for a while…there's some things I need to think about." She sighed. Addison smiled, nodding, and pulled Ally in for a hug.

"We'll always be here for you, Ally. No matter what happens, you'll always be a part of this family." She murmured into her ear. Ally grinned.

"Thank you so much. It means so much to me to hear you say that."

"Good, I'm glad. See you in an hour or so for dinner, yeah?"

"Yeah." She nodded, before walking out of the lounge and making her way back to her room.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

She lay back on her bed, thinking, for a few minutes, until Austin walked into her bedroom. She looked up at him, smiling, and he jumped on the bed next to her.

"So…how you feeling?"

"I'm okay, I guess. It's just…everything is so messed up right now. I came here a couple weeks ago thinking I was going to meet Dallas's family and start organising the wedding, and then go back home after a week or two. And now Dallas has left without me, we've broke up, I'm _moving _here and, to top it all off, I'm having sex with his younger brother." She explained, still finding it a little difficult to comprehend how much her life had changed. Austin stiffened, and she turned to look at him, frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"Is that all this is to you? We're just _having sex_? Because for me, it's a lot more, and I thought it was for you too…" he asked her, hurt. She laughed.

"Yeah, it is. It's a lot more than just sex. I just wasn't sure if you felt the same, and I didn't want to scare you off." She shrugged. He laughed.

"Okay then. So, the question still remains…do we tell people?"

"That we're having sex? That might make things a little awkward, but…"

"You know what I mean! Do we tell them that we're together?"

"No, not yet. I mean, I know everyone says they love me and everything, they may find it a little hard to believe that we got together so soon, and if they suspect I was cheating on Dallas…I can't risk that. I don't want them to hate me."

"Trust me, it'd be me that they hated, but I understand. So we keep things under wraps for now?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Well, mom and dad are going out later, and I'm sure I could convince Charlotte to take Alice to the movies or something…" he suggested. She laughed, pushing him away and rolling over so that she had her back to him.

"No, Austin. What are you, some kind of sex addict?"

"Nope. I'm just an eighteen-year-old guy with a really, really hot girlfriend." He shrugged. She blushed but rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, not tonight. You said yourself; this isn't just about the sex, right?"

"Right…you know, I'm regretting that already." He muttered, disappointed. She slapped his arm, laughing.

"You're such a guy."

"I know."

"So…what do you wanna do?"

"I think you know what I wanna do…"

"Austin." She growled warningly. He laughed.

"Sorry. Am I still allowed to kiss you, though?"

"I guess…but what if someone comes in?"

"Hmm…come on, nobody ever comes into my room." He said, jumping off the bed and pulling Ally with him. She laughed as he opened the door, looking around and motioning for her to follow him, spy-style.

"Hey, 007, I hope you realise how big an idiot you look right now. But it's still seriously sexy…" She whispered in his ear, resting her hands on his shoulders. He shivered and she stifled a giggle, wanting to play along with his espionage.

When they made it into his bedroom he shut the door behind them and turned to her, looking a little embarrassed.

"Erm, a minute ago, when you whispered in my ear, I may have erm…"

"You shivered! I actually made you shiver! Oh, I am _good." _She laughed loudly. He glared at her, advancing on her menacingly. She stepped back, legs hitting the bed. His bedroom wasn't very big.

"You know, I don't understand how Dallas put up with you all these years without any reward for his efforts…" he joked. She pouted.

"I'm not that bad, am I?"

"No, of course not. You're just…feisty."

"Hmm…is feisty good?"

"Depends on how you interpret it, but with you, yeah. Very good."

"Aw, thanks. Well, you're pretty awesome yourself."

"And sexy, don't forget sexy." He added. She smiled.

"Very sexy."

"I'm glad you think so." He smirked as his mouth descended on hers and she smiled, hands instantly moving to his shoulders and then around his neck. He pushed her backwards and she squealed slightly as they fell onto the bed. He laughed, pulling away to trail kisses down her neck. She sighed, throwing her head back. His warm hands made their way underneath her shirt and she let out an involuntary squeak, making him look up, eyebrows raised cockily.

She pulled his face back up to meet hers and kissed him, pulling his shirt over his head eagerly. He chuckled as she rolled them over, sitting up so that she was straddling his waist. She ran her fingers over his toned stomach, loving the feeling of his rock-hard abs beneath her fingers. She smiled, leaning down to kiss his stomach, making her way slowly upwards to meet his lips again. He grinned, his hands moving to run through her hair. She gasped when he tugged a little too hard, but surprisingly it felt good.

She shifted to get into a more comfortable position and Austin hissed, eyes snapping shut. She frowned, wondering why, but then she felt, erm…_something _against her leg and figured it out. For a second things were awkward, but then she burst out laughing. Austin opened his eyes, glaring at her, and she laughed harder, rolling off him to lay by his side.

"It's not that funny, Ally."

"Yeah, it is. You should have seen your face!"

"Well, since it's your fault it happened…you gonna help me fix it?" he asked, smirking cockily. She laughed, wiping her eyes.

"Nice try, but no. Go get a cold shower or whatever you do." She said, pointing towards the door to his bathroom. He sighed in defeat, getting up reluctantly and heading to his bathroom.

She lay on his bed for a while, trying to catch her breath, and listened to him whistling a soft, slow melody as the shower started up. She then found herself laughing as he started belting out 'Live While We're Young'.

She was humming along to the sound when she heard a knock at the door.

"Austin, honey, can I come in?" Addison called. Ally froze. She knew there was no reasonable explanation for her to be in his room while he showered, so she did the only thing that seemed plausible. She darted across the room and into the bathroom.

"Ally?" he sounded surprised, and she smiled sheepishly, eyes closed.

"Your mom wanted to come in. I didn't want her to know I was in here." She hissed. He chuckled as she turned around and opened her eyes.

"Come on Ally, you can look if you won't. I don't mind…"

"Austin, this isn't the time." She chided him. He sighed.

"Fine. Pass me a towel?"

"Sure." She replied, grabbing a blue towel from the rail and tossing it to him.

"Austin, are you in there?" Addison asked. Ally jumped.

"Yeah, mom. What's up?"

"Do you know where Ally is? She's not in her room."

"Nah, no idea. Why?" Austin lied easily, kissing her on the cheek and mouthing 'stay here' as he opened the door and went into his bedroom, shutting it behind him.

"Dallas is on the phone. He wants to speak to her."

"Mom, she already said she didn't want to speak to him."

"Yeah, but this is important. I think she should hear it from him."

"What could possibly be that important?"

"Promise you won't tell her?" Addison asked. Austin rolled his eyes.

"You know I wouldn't, not if you don't want me to."

"Sorry, it's just that you and Ally have gotten pretty close, and I know friends don't like keeping things from each other, especially things like this…"

"Yeah, I know, but I won't tell her mom." He said impatiently. Ally debated covering her ears, not wanting to betray Addison's trust, but she wanted to know. Besides, she could act surprised when Dallas told her.

"Okay, well…this wasn't the first time he cheated on her. He told me…about three years ago, there was another girl. He met her in a club and he'd had a little too much to drink, and he slept with her. And it continued, for a little while. They were together for about a month, he said, before he realised how much he loved Ally and broke it off."

"That fucking bastard…"

"Watch your language, Austin," she chided, "Anyway, when he got back to the apartment…this girl was waiting for him."

"And? Why would Ally care about that at all? They're over, remember?"

"Yeah, but if you'll let me finish, you'll understand. This girl was waiting for him…along with her two-year-old daughter." She sighed. Austin froze, eyes wide.

"What?"

"Yeah."

"Dallas is a _father? _Wait, that means…I'm an _uncle?"_ he asked, shocked. Ally was pretty shocked herself.

"Yeah, he is, and you are. And I'm a grandmother…so now do you see why I thought Ally should hear it from Dallas himself?"

"Yeah, I see…wow. This is…I can't believe him."

"Neither can I. I raised him to be better than this. I didn't raise him to be a cheat, I didn't raise any of my children to do that. Where did I go wrong, Austin?" she asked, tearing up. Austin hugged her.

"You didn't, mom. This isn't your fault, this is all on Dallas. He's a lying, cheating bas-idiot. Every family has a black sheep, and apparently Dallas is ours."

"Yeah, well…I just, I thought he was better than that?"

"I think everyone did, mom. Anyway, don't you think you should go find Ally? She needs to know this."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you later." She said, kissing him on the cheek and leaving. He waited until she was gone and then hurriedly opened the bathroom door. Ally pretty much fell out of the bathroom, into his eyes, crying harder than she ever had before.

"I'm so sorry, Ally."

"So am I, Austin. God damn it, so am I…" she choked out. He kissed the top of her head, holding her close to him, wondering how anyone could possibly bring themselves to do something to hurt Ally.

**Review review review review review REVIEW! :D Love you!**


	12. Telling Austin's Family

**Omfg, I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo incredibly sorry right now! Feel free to hate me, i know I do! I canot believe I've made you wait two whole weeks! I am a terrible person!**

**I've been so unbelievably busy lately, so much work to do and I've just had absolutely zero free time to write! **

**And this is a really short chapter, too! Again, I am sosososososososososososososo sososososooooooooooooo sorry!**

**Thank you guys so much for all of the reviews, and for not abandoning the story, I love you all!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 12

Ally woke up to find a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and to the exhilarating feeling of Austin's breath on the back of her neck. She smiled, snuggling backwards into the warmth of his body. He grunted a little, tightening his hold, making her uncomfortable. Sighing, she wriggled a little to get out of his grasp and moved her hand up to wipe a stray piece of hair from her face. Momentarily she wondered why it was wet. Then she remembered what she'd found out last night, and how she'd cried for over two hours straight.

Fighting back a fresh round of tears she got out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes from her drawers, peeling off those that she was already wearing as she made her way into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and sighed, peeling off the rest of her clothes and climbing in.

After a few minutes of relaxation, she heard the bedsprings creak and knew that Austin was awake.

"Ally, are you okay?" he called warily from the other side of the door.

"I'm fine, Austin. Just showering." She called, her voice a little higher than usual but otherwise normal. Austin being Austin, however, picked up on the high-pitch and sighed.

"No, you're not fine, and don't even try to lie to me. I know you too well. Can I come in?" he asked. She thought for a second, but figured that he's already seen it all before.

"Yeah, sure, but you're not getting in here with me."

"Dammit." He muttered, something in the tone of his voice telling her that he was honestly disappointed.

She smiled pathetically and he grimaced back at her pityingly. He tried to keep his gaze on her face but, being a teenage guy, couldn't help letting his eyes stray downward across her wet body. She covered herself automatically, making him chuckle.

"Ally, you have nothing you need to hide…from where I stand, your body is pretty perfect." He told her. She smiled, shrugging as she turned around to grab the shower gel.

"Thanks Austin. Look, I think I'm going to be fine. But…I have to go back to Miami." She told him. He froze, looking her in the eye to see if she was being serious.

"Wh-why?" he stammered. She sighed.

"Because I need to see my friends, first of all. And I don't trust Dallas to send all of my stuff over here. Also…I need to see him. Talk things over with him. And tell him…I need to tell him that I'm with you. He was going to tell me about his kid…I can't keep this from him knowing that he was planning to tell me about that. But I need to speak to him anyway, Austin. This isn't just about us. I'm not the kind of person who can just cut off all ties to my life and move on. I have to sort things out with Dallas or it will eat me alive for the rest of my life, and I can't…I can't let that happen." She explained. He looked thoughtful for a second and then nodded.

"I get it, totally. But I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"He's my brother, Ally. I can't let you tell him this without me there…what if he gets really mad?"

"I'm not afraid of him, Austin."

"I know you're not, but I'm coming anyway. It'd be cowardly to stay here, and I'm not a coward."

"Thanks, Austin. I'm glad." She sighed, relieved. She hadn't wanted to outright ask him to go with her, but she wanted him to, so she was glad that he had decided to go.

"No problem."

"Could you pass me a towel?" she asked, turning off the shower and wrapping her arms around herself, shivering slightly. He nodded, turning to grab a towel and hold it out for her. She stepped out, allowing him to wrap it around her body and hug her to his chest. She leant her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent and wondering how she could have been with Dallas all that time and not realised what she was missing out on. Dallas had never been able to make her feel the way Austin made her feel. It had taken years for her and Dallas to even consider getting married, but with Austin she would willingly walk down the aisle tomorrow if that was what he wanted. She knew he was only eighteen, and that he could change his mind about her at any time, but something in the way he held her, the way he looked at her, told her that he wasn't planning to move on anytime soon.

"I love you, Austin." She sighed, and then froze, realising what she'd said. Austin froze too, shocked. Neither of them spoke for a minute or so, but then Austin slowly pulled away to look her in the eyes. Ally was dismayed to see the outright terror in his eyes.

"Ally…"

"I'm so sorry, Austin! Me and my big mouth….forget I ever said that, please. I don't want to mess up this relationship so soon, I know you probably don't feel the same way, I mean, how could you? I don't even know what came over me, I just-"

"Ally, we've only known each other for a few weeks…"

"Yeah, I know, I'm-"

"And you're three years older than me…"

"I'm sorry, please don't-"

"And up until not long ago you were engaged to my brother…"

"I don't really see how relevant that is, but-"

"And I'm still young, most guys my age wouldn't dream of committing to a serious relationship…"

"For fuck's sake, I know! You don't have to tell me all these things, I know! And I know you don't-"

"By all logic, there's no way I should be in love with you, Ally." By now she was crying, about ready to run out of the house and drive all the way home to Miami in just the towel. She moved to run out of the bathroom but Austin grabbed her hand, linking his fingers through hers and pulling her close to his chest.

"You didn't let me finish, Ally."

"What more could you possibly have to say?" she choked out through her sobs. He smiled softly, leaning down to kiss the tears away from her cheeks.

"I shouldn't be in love with you, Ally. To most people, it would seem impossible. But for some stupid, crazy reason, I am. At risk of sounding mushy…I couldn't see myself with anyone else but you."

"R-really?" she stuttered, unable to believe what she was hearing. He smiled, nodding.

"I fucking love you, Ally Dawson. And I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe that." She momentarily wondered what a suitable response to that would be, but then she threw her arms around his neck and connected their lips, and that was all she needed to do to get her message across.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"You're family are going to hate me, Austin." Ally groaned, clenching her sweaty fists in anxiety. He rolled his eyes, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

"No, they aren't. They love you, and they're not going to care at all about us."

"Of course they will! They're going to assume I cheated on Dallas with you!"

"No they won't, not if we tell them that we didn't."

"I don't know, Austin…"

"Trust me, okay? Look, there's no way my mom will let me go with you to Miami unless we explain."

"You're eighteen now, Austin, your mom can't tell you what to do anymore!"

"C'mon, Ally, you know my mom. As long as I live in this house, I have to follow her rules." He told her. She sighed in defeat, knowing that he was right. She knew that she could convince him to leave now, without even telling anyone, if she really wanted to. But she didn't want to ruin his relationships with any more of his family, so she had to do this. For him.

Takign a deep breath, she pushed open the door to the lounge, a look of determination on her face. Tom, Addison, Charlotte and Alice looked up from the board game they were playing to smile at the pair.

"Ally, Austin! We were just playing Monopoly, would you two like to join us?" Addison greeted them, smiling happily. Ally opened her mouth to speak but her throat closed up, preventing her from saying a word.

"Actually, mom, there was something we needed to tell you…"

"Oh, okay then…what is it?"

"Well…Ally?" he glanced at his soon-to-be-not-so-secret girlfriend and silently asked her if she wanted to tell them She nodded, smiling softly at the group in front of her.

"Look, there's no easy way to say this, but…promise you guys won't hate me?"

"I seriously doubt that anything you have to say could make us hate you, Ally." Said Allyson, shaking her head. Ally gulped.

"Oh, trust me, this might. Well, erm…I'm not gonna beat about the bush…Austin and I are a couple." She blurted, hoping maybe they had all suffered from temporary deafness while she said it. She cringed as Addison opened her moth to speak, ready to run upstairs and start packing her belongings. What Addison did say, however, shocked her.

"Oh, we know dear."

"Wait-what?" Austin choked out, frowning at his mother. She chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"Did you honestly expect Charlotte to keep it a secret? And I mean, you two weren't exactly discreet about it. The walls in this house aren't soundproof, you know…" Ally's cheeks flamed and she hung her head in shame, and even Austin blushed a little.

"Oh God, mom…" he muttered, mortified. Ally noticed Alice's face change from confused to disgusted as she figured out what everyone was talking about, and laughed at her scrunched up face.

"Oh, ew, mom! That's my brother you're talking about!" she cried. Addison glanced at her sharply.

"You're too young to know what we're talking about." She snapped. Alice rolled her eyes, muttering something incomprehendable under her breath.

"Look, Addison, I'm sorry if this makes you angry at all…"

"Why on Earth would I be angry? You did nothing wrong, Ally? I mean, as long as this wasn't going on before Austin's birthday…I wouldn't want you breaking the law under my roof." She chided. Ally shook her head quickly.

"No, honestly, it only happened after Dallas and I ended it completely. I would never do that, ever."

"Even though Dallas did it to you?"

"Two wrongs don't make a right. I'm not unfaithful, and I never will be."

"Well that's good to hear if you and my son are going to be serious. Look, Ally, I trust you. And it's obvious to me that you two are in love. Hell, there's been chemistry between the pair of you since you first met. As long as you treat Austin right, and he treats you right, I have no issues with the two of you." Addison shrugged, smiling warmly. Ally couldn't help herself; she threw her arms around Addison, grinning widely.

"Thank you so much!" she choked out, crying happy tears.

"It's no problem. But there is one problem…are you going to tell Dallas? Because I'm nto sure how happy he'll be about this…"

"Actually, Austin and I were planning to fly out to Miami as soon as possible to go see him. He chose to be honest with me about his child, so it's only fair that I'm honest to him about Austin. But we wanted to tell you first; Austin didn't want to frighten you by running off to Miami, and he knew you wouldn't let him go if you didn't know the circumstances." She explained. Addison beamed at them.

"Wow. Before you came here, if someone had told me that something like this would happen I would have laughed. You've changed my son since you came here. In these past few weeks, Austin has grown from a boy into a man, and I only have you to thank for that." She said, tearing up a little. Austin smiled at his mom, moving forward to pull her into a hug.

"I love you mom. I'm sorry about how I used to be. I understand now what an absolute dickhead I was, and I hate myself for it. I love you so much, and I hate that I damaged our relationship that way. I'm glad you think I'm a man now, but I do have one more question…"

"What is it?"

"Do you think I'm mature enough to go to Miami with Ally?" he asked. She laughed.

"Of course you are! As long as you come back, of course. And please, go easy on your brother. He might had screwed things up royally, but he's still my son, and he's still your brother."

"Don't worry, mom. I won't beat him up too bad." He joked, making everyone but Ally laugh.

"Actually, you won't beat him up _at all."_ She corrected him, expression stern. Tom laughed loudly, shaking his head at his son.

"Austin, son, I gotta say I admire you. Women are hard enough, but an older woman…? Good luck to you, boy." He said jovially. Austin smiled, glancing back at Ally and moving to wrap an arm around her waist. She smiled back at him.

"Ally could be fifty, for all I care. She's the one for me, no doubt about that." He said softly. Ally smiled, blushing a little, and kissed him on the cheek chastely.

"I love you too, Austin. But seriously, we need to leave now if we wanna get to Miami today." She said, frowning apologetically at Addison. Austin's mom shrugged.

"I understand. We'll see you soon." She said.

Austin and Ally said their goodbyes and then grabbed their suitcases and made their way out to Austin's car. As she closed the passenger side door, Ally took a deep breath. Austin glanced at her pale face.

"You ready for this?"

"You know what? Even though it's gonna be hours until we actually get to Miami, let alone to see Dallas, I still feel physically sick right now."

"Don't worry about it, Ally. Things are going to be okay. As long as we've got each other, we'll be just fine." He said, taking her hand in his own and kissing her knuckles reassuringly.

"Thanks Austin. I love you." She muttered.

"I love you too." He replied.

Ally knew she'd never get used to the warm, fuzzy feeling she got when he said those four words. And honestly? She never wanted to.

**Please review!**

**And by the way, if any of you have ever visited the Auslly Wikia, there's something on there called the Austin and Ally awards, and there's a 'Best FanFiction Author' category and I've been nominated! And so has my BFFF (Best FanFiction Friend) Wonderstruck-ambition ! If you get a chance, please go on there and vote for us? Her story, 'She Moves In With Us' has also been nominated for 'FanFiction Victory', so**** please vote for that and for one of use for best Author! I would be ternally grateful! Love you guys! :D**


	13. Telling Dallas and Mia

**I think this may possibly be the last chapter, guys. I'm being so sporadic with the updates and I just don't have any idea what else to do...I'd rather quit while I'm ahead. Let me know it there are any loose ends I haven't quite tied up, and if enough people review I'll continue...:D Thanks!**

**Hope you like this chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :(**

Chapter 13

The flight was long and torturous. Ally couldn't stop thinking about the fact that in a few hours, she would be telling Dallas that she was dating his brother. She had a feeling this wasn't going to go down well…Austin smiled reassuringly at her as she leant her head on his shoulder. She didn't need to say a word for him to know that she was nervous. He was nervous too, to be honest. He didn't _want _his brother to hate him, but he knew that there was no avoiding it. Once they told him they were together, his relationship with Dallas would never be the same. He'd get over it, though; Dallas had hated him for a long time before he met Ally.

When the plane landed, they grabbed their bags, left the plane and made their way through the airport slowly, not speaking to each other. Ally needed time to think about how to approach Dallas, and Austin wanted to give her space to think.

"Ally?" he asked in the cab on the way to Ally's old apartment.

"Hmm?" she replied, not really paying attention to him. She was still caught up in her own thoughts.

"Are you going to be okay? I mean, this has to be difficult for you…if you need to talk to me, I'm here." He said, not knowing what else to say. She smiled at him gratefully, then sighed and buried her head in her hands.

"I don't know if I can do this, Austin. I loved him for five years. Five whole years of my life! I think that seeing him with this other girl and his kid…it'll hurt, Austin. A lot. More than I've probably ever felt before."

"But I'll be there with you, holding your hand through it all if that's what you need. You have to face him at some point, Ally. You said it yourself; you have loose ends to tie up, and it'll drive you insane for the rest of your life if you don't do it.

"I know…but it's still going to hurt, Austin."

"Look, think about it this way; if Dallas hadn't done this to you, you would still be with him now. You would still be unhappy, not knowing what real love is. And you wouldn't even know that you were unhappy, because you'd have never known what it was like to be with someone you were truly, one hundred percent in love with. And you'd still be a virgin." He added that little but on the end in an attempt to lighten the mood a little, and it worked. Ally smiled, leaning into his side and closing her eyes for a moment.

"You're right. In actual fact, I should thank Dallas. If he hadn't screwed me over, I never would have found you. And I can honestly say I've never been happier that I am when I'm with you."

"I feel exactly the same. I guess we both have something to thank Dallas for. Although he still hurt you, and I'll never forgive him for that."

"In all fairness, it's going to hurt him when we tell him we're together."

"Yeah, but it's not like you cheated on him."

"I suppose…oh, shit. We're here." She muttered, eyes widening in panic as the cab driver pulled up outside a rather posh apartment building. Austin whistled as he climbed out of the cab.

"Wow, you guys sure lived in luxury all these years…" he muttered. Ally shrugged.

"I never really liked it much. Dallas is a bit of a clean freak, so much so that the apartment always seemed to look like a show home. I prefer a little mess, makes it feel more comfortable and homely."

"I get what you mean. When I first moved in, Dallas' bedroom was seriously neat and organised. I mean, he'd cleaned out a lot of his stuff, but what he'd left…I swear, he'd have a heart attack if he saw it now."

"You're room is pretty disgusting."

"I'm a teenager, what can you do?" he shrugged. She laughed, raising her hand to knock on the apartment door, her stomach twisting in anxiety. But before her knuckles came into contact with the wood, the door was yanked open and a very pretty, but harassed-looking blonde girl stood there. Ally's eyes widened and she glanced at the door number, checking that it was the right apartment. It was.

The girl looked her over, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Can I help you?" she asked, voice a little shaky with anger. Ally opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"Mia, come on, don't be mad! You know I didn't mean it that way! I just want to see my son…" Dallas trailed off as he walked out of the kitchen and caught sight of Ally. His face paled and his entire body seemed to deflate a little.

"Hi, Dallas." Ally muttered bitterly in greeting. Mia's frown deepened.

"You know Dallas?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Ally replied flatly. Dallas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck gingerly.

"Mia, this is Ally. The girl I told you about."

"Ally? As in your ex-fiancée Ally?" Mia sputtered, shocked.

"Yeah, that'd be me. And I'm guessing you're the girl he was cheating on me with?"

"Oh, yeah…I guess that's me...look, I am _so _sorry about everything. I mean, the dickhead never even told me he was engaged. He told me he was single! I never would have done anything with him if I'd known…" She murmured, looking away in shame. Ally smiled sympathetically.

"Its okay, Mia. Everyone makes mistakes. We just both happened to make the same one."

"Yeah, but you're lucky enough to be able to get away from that mistake. I'm stuck with him forever."

"What do you mean?" Ally asked, confused.

"We're having joint custody of Niall." Dallas piped up. Ally glared at him.

"I see…well, I can't really get away from him for good either, so I guess we're kind of in the same boat…" she sighed. Dallas frowned.

"Not that I want you to, but why can't you get away from me? Oh, wait, is this about my family? You know, when they said you were a part of the family, they meant while you were dating me…tell me you're not still living there?" he asked. Ally felt the anger she already felt practically double and she couldn't help herself.

"Yeah, I am still living there. And trust me; I'm a part of the family. Not only because they all prefer me to you, especially after what you did, but also because I'm dating Austin now." She blurted, practically shouting. Dallas' eyes widened in shock and he opened his mouth to speak. Austin stepped forward to lay a comforting hand on Ally's shoulder, conveniently allowing Dallas to see him. Mia looked from Dallas to Austin and Ally and back a few times before sighing.

"You realise that you guys totally ruined my whole dramatic exit, right?" she said to Austin and Ally, breaking the silence. Ally frowned, not sure whether to laugh or apologise, but Austin chuckled loudly.

"Don't worry, Mia. I'm sure if we all go sit down and talk things over, my brother will give you [plenty of opportunities to storm out." He replied, pushing Ally inside and closing the door with his foot, silently letting everyone know that nobody was leaving the apartment until they'd all sat down and tried to have a civil conversation.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, until Dallas finally snapped and whirled around, stomping off into the lounge room, muttering something about people 'ganging up on him' under his breath. The atmosphere lightened drastically and Mia smiled weakly at the pair in front of her.

"Look, Ally, I understand that you have no reason to like me. But I want to let you know, when Dallas told me he was with you I walked out and didn't contact him again until recently. The only reason I came to him was because I needed money; it's not easy caring for a child when you're earning minimum wage and working all day." She sighed. Ally smiled warmly, reaching out for a slightly awkward hug.

"Look, Mia, I don't know you, but even now I can tell you're a really sweet, honest person, and I don't judge you for what happened. Dallas screwed you over, and you just happened to be unlucky enough to get pregnant. I don't blame you one bit. Now come on, the sooner we have this 'talk', the sooner we can all leave."

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Three hours later Austin, Ally and Mia left the apartment. Dallas had pissed everyone off at some point, but they managed to stay calm and be civil with one another. Surprisingly, Austin managed to keep his hands to himself and there were no fist fights, although at one point Dallas did accuse Ally of being a cheat and she had to physically sit on Austin to stop him from murdering his brother.

It was almost dark when they got outside and Mia shivered at the cold.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later…" Mia said, feeling awkward. She'd never been in a situation even remotely similar to this before, and she wasn't sure on the protocol. Ally smiled, going in for another hug, which she gladly returned.

"Yeah, you will, and that's a promise. In fact, I'll give you my number. Do you have your phone on you?" she asked. Surprised but please, Mia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a battered BlackBerry, handing it to Ally.

"The 'A' button doesn't work, by the way…that was my friend's phone, and she treated it like crap because she could afford a new one if it broke. When she got a new one, she gave me that one because I couldn't afford to buy one…" she said, blushing a little in embarrassment at her poorness. Ally smiled, finished typing in her number, and then handed the phone back to Mia.

"Don't be embarrassed, Mia. You have a kid, and you're only, what, twenty?" Mia nodded, and Ally continued, "I admire you for going so long without contacting Dallas, but it was the wrong thing to do. You deserve more for him, and so does Niall. You're going to be sharing custody now, but you must be entitled to some kind of payment from the guy."

"Yeah, I think he owes me child support…but I don't really want to take his money."

"Well, I admire you for that. But seriously, anytime you need help, just give me a call and I'll be here." She told the girl, smiling warmly. Mia nodded in thanks and then hugged Ally again.

"Thank you, Ally. You have to be one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"Don't sweat it. I'm just a nice person." She shrugged. Austin smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and smiling at Mia.

"She is a very nice person, and I'm surprised she hasn't already thrown her purse at you and given you her house key. Not that she has a house of her own, but…" Ally slapped his chest jokingly, looking up into his eyes, pouting.

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked, eyes watering. Austin's own eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"Oh, God, Ally I'm so sorry! Please don't cry, I didn't mean it!" he cried, wiping a tear from her cheek where one had spilled over. She laughed loudly, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not upset Austin, I'm just a good actress and I like to mess with you." She said, giggling. Mia laughed too, and Austin looked embarrassed.

"Wow, Ally, that guy is so completely in love with you…I wish I had someone like that." Mia sighed. Ally beamed, kissing Austin chastely and winking at Mia.

"I know he is…and you'll find someone, I can guarantee that." Ally reassured her. Mia nodded, smiling.

"Thanks, Ally. Look, I really have to leave now. My babysitter charges by the hour, and I really don't have that much money to spare. It was great meeting you two, and I'm sure I'll see you again soon." She said, hugging Ally one more time before jogging over to her car. Austin sighed as he slid an arm around Ally's waist, pulling her body closer to his.

"As much as I liked Mia, I'm so glad she's gone." He whispered. Ally giggled.

"Why?"

"Because now I can do this…" he breathed, leaning down to kiss her. They both smiled into the kiss, eventually pulling away when Ally shivered with cold.

"Come on, there's a little hotel just down the street. We can go get a room there." She said against his lips. He grinned.

"That's the best idea you've had all day." He said, smiling seductively. Ally winked at him.

"Well, of course we'll be getting a room with two single beds…" she joked. He nodded, the picture of innocence.

"Of course! What would we do with a double bed? I mean, other than, you know, take off all our clothes, and-"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Moon." Ally scolded him. He laughed, leaning down to wrap his arms around her waist and lift her over his shoulders. She screamed, and then found herself laughing as he trudged down the street towards the hotel.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Ally sighed loudly as she collapsed onto the huge queen-size in the middle of the room. Austin put down his rucksack and her overnight bag and ran over, jumping onto the bed beside her. She squealed, wriggling away from him. He slid his hands underneath her body and rolled her over onto her back, grinning as he straddled her waist and leant down to kiss her collarbone, working his way up her neck. She breathed out shakily, enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

After a little while she reluctantly pushed him away. He frowned, looking disappointed.

"Sorry, Austin, but I'm absolutely starving. Do you think they do room service?" she asked. He reached over to the drawers beside the bed and opened the top one, nodding and pulling out a little menu. She looked it over, salivating at the thought of food. She hadn't eaten since the night before and her stomach was making some strange noises.

"I'll have pancakes." He said, not even bothering to look at the menu.

"What if they don't have pancakes?"

"Every good hotel has pancakes, Ally."

"Well then this must be a bad hotel, because I don't see any pancakes on the menu…"

"Ally, are you telling me that on the entire menu, there's nothing containing flour, eggs and milk?" he asked. She smiled, shaking her head.

"Are you really going to call room service and ask them to make you pancakes? Even though they aren't on the menu?" she asked disbelievingly. He laughed and shook his head.

"Of course not. I need the toilet, so you're going to do it." He said, darting into the bathroom before she could protest.

"Austin!" she called after him, frustrated. Then she sighed, knowing full well that he was being serious. He wanted pancakes. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed the phone and dialled room service, ordering herself a chicken salad and pleading with the guy to ask the chef to make pancakes.

Austin walked back out of the bathroom grinning, kissing her on the cheek and thanking her for ordering pancakes.

"You're the best girlfriend ever." He muttered as they lay side by side on the bed. She smiled.

"I know. And you're the best boyfriend ever, too." She smiled. He shrugged.

"What can I say? It comes naturally."

"You're way too cocky for your own good." She muttered. He leant forward to whisper something dirty in her ear, making her blush scarlet and slap his arm playfully.

"Austin!" she shouted in protest, about to tell him exactly what was wrong with what he just said, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door and a guy calling 'room service'. Austin jumped up, practically running over to the door to yank it open. A bellhop pushed the tray inside, bid them a good evening, and left. Austin grinned, his mouth watering at the sight of a stack of delicious-looking, syrupy pancakes.

Ally chuckled when he finished eating his pancakes. She'd only just made a start on her salad.

"Wow, Austin, you're such a child. Maybe you _are _too young for me…" she joked. He rolled his eyes.

"Bitch please, as if you could live without me." He replied arrogantly. She shrugged.

"I don't know…"

"Well then, maybe I'll just have to prove to you just how much you need me in your life…" he said suggestively, advancing towards her where she was sat on the bed. She smiled, holding up her plate of salad.

"I'm a little busy at the moment…"

"Come on, Ally…" he said softly, taking the plate out of her hands slowly. She let him take it, fascinated by the look in his eyes. He dumped the plate on the room service tray, pushing Ally backwards onto the bed and crawling on top of her. Hunger long forgotten, Ally struggled to keep breathing as he planted a kiss on her neck.

"Austin…" she moaned. He smiled against the skin of her neck, continuing to make his way up her neck, nibbling her ear softly. She moaned again, hands sliding down his body to the hem of his shirt, unbuttoning it frantically.

"Ally, slow down. We have all night…" he chided, voice low and husky. She smiled flirtatiously at him.

"I'm sorry, you just make me so crazy…" she said quietly, innocently. He closed his eyes for a second, struggling to control himself. She lazily slid the shirt off his shoulders and dropped it on the floor, hands gliding over his smooth, hard chest, followed by her lips. Her fingers teased the button on his jeans before moving back up to his hair. He groaned when their lips met once again and she tugged gently.

"God, Ally, I love you so much." He breathed in her ear, panting. She grinned.

"I love you too."

**Review of you want more! :D**


	14. Something About Texas

**Omg I am soooooo sorry! Our WiFi has been down for the past week and I've been unable to update, which makes me feel like an absolute bitch! :0 **

**In response to a review I had, no, that wasn't a scheme to get more reviews although I totally get why you might have thought that...I have to admit, it does seem a little desperate but I wanted to know if there were any loose ends I had to tie up ro anything...I get LOADS of reviews for this story and all of my stories, for which I am eternally grateful, and I would never 'beg' for more reviews...I just wanted your opinions on the story.**

**So, this is the last chapter I'm afraid. I am sooooooooo thankful for all of the reviews and support I've gotten and I love you guys all sooooo mcuh...I just have so little time i don't want to be makign you wait weeks for each chapter because I have so much school work to do...I have loads of exams and assessments and while I am still writing, I won't be writing nearly as much, so I apologise...**

**Thanks again for all your amazing support, it's been a pleasure writing this story and I'd really appareciate your feedback on this chapter, but I totally understand if you don't have time or just don't want to review...I've taken wayyyy too long to update this to expect anythign, but thank you all so much for reading, I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the other!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing but the plot line... :( **

Chapter 14

"Austin, I'm warning you. If you don't go away now I'm calling Trish. And she's been dealing with Dez's family all morning…she's liable to cause you some form of bodily harm." Mia yelled warningly through the door she was trying her level best to keep closed. Austin groaned.

"Come on, Mia! I just wanna see my girl!"

"Well tough. Its bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, and after Trish's wedding day debacle, I'm not taking any chances."

"Come on, Mia, it'll be fine…" Ally reassured her. Mia shook her head stubbornly.

"No! Austin Monica Moon, if you don't stop shoving on this door I'm going to pepper spray you." She threatened him. He sighed loudly, moving away from the door. Relieved, Mia moved away also, straightening out her crinkled dress. Austin shoved the door open, grinning triumphantly.

"Ha! Fooled you!" he chuckled, sticking his tongue out at Mia childishly. She rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"You're such a sneak. Ugh, fine, go ahead! But if the ceiling falls down and your decorations catch fire, don't blame me." She half-yelled. Ally laughed.

"Mia, this isn't Trish's wedding. We're in a church, not a falling-down beach hut, and there are no Tikki torches. We're not even in Hawaii!"

"Something, might I add, that I'm seriously disappointed with." Austin butted in. Mia glared at the blond angrily, the looked back at Ally.

"I know that, but seriously? Trish and Dez are here, and that's enough cause for concern…I don't even know how I lived through their wedding…whoever decided it was safe to allow Dez within kicking-range of lit torches must have been on crack…"

"The torches were your idea, Mia…" Austin reminded her. He whipped her head around, glaring murderously at him, before throwing her hands up in frustration and stomping out of the room. Austin and Ally laughed at their friend, unsurprised by her overreaction. Mia had a tendency to get wound up and a little OCD, but at the end of the day she only wanted the best for her friends on their special day.

Austin smiled at Ally, meeting her eye. They exchanged a knowing look, before looking away to check each other out. Ally's lips quirked up in amusement at his battered grey converse.

"Converse? On our wedding day?" she asked, eyebrows raised. He rubbed his neck, sheepish.

"Well, Mia already forced me into this monkey suit…there's no way I'm wearing the stupid, overly-shiny elf shoes." He shrugged. Ally sighed, shaking her head resignedly.

"Austin, those 'elf-shoes' are Italian! And they cost over four hundred dollars." She chided him. He frowned, looking guilty.

"Whoops…"

"What did you do?"

"I may have accidentally given them to a homeless person…"

"Austin!" she shouted.

"He had no shoes on! Ally, I couldn't let the guy walk around the streets of Miami without shoes! I didn't realise they were so expensive…it's not like we can't afford it, anyway. We're both kinda rich and famous, in case you didn't know." He joked, shuffling closer to her. She smiled, unable to hold onto her anger on her wedding day.

"I guess it was a nice thing to do…although you could have just given him your cheap, ratty old converse." She frowned. He frowned, and ally was surprised to see he was genuinely shocked at her suggestion.

"Why would I give these away?"

"Because they're old and filthy and we have plenty of money for you to get a new pair…"

"Ally, why do you think I love these shoes so much?"

"I don't know…because you're some kind of weirdo who gets emotionally attached to his shoes?"

"No! I mean, I'm attached to these ones, but I have a good reason. Have I really never told you?"

"Told me what?" she gasped, frustrated. He smiled, carefully brushing back a stray curl that had broken free of the tight bun Mia had forced her usually unruly locks into.

"These are the shoes I was wearing when I first met you. When I climbed over the balcony with Cassidy...I was wearing these shoes." He explained, his voice soft. Ally smiled, feeling herself tear up a little.

"Aw, Austin, that's so sweet." She gushed, biting her lip and attempting to hold back the tears.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, chuckling a little. She shrugged.

"It's my wedding day, Austin. I'm an emotional wreck!" she wailed. He laughed, pulling her into his arms for a reassuring embrace. She sighed, feeling the pressure evaporate as soon as she was in his arms.

"Wow…I can't believe that three years ago you were engaged to my brother, and we'd barely even spoken to one another…"

"Yeah, and he was telling me how much of a bad person you were and how I should stay away from you." She chuckled.

"Yeah…it's amazing to think of how much things have changed since then." He sighed. Ally's light-hearted expression shifted to one of guilt.

"Speaking of Dallas…is he coming today?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I sent him an invitation, obviously. I mean, he is my brother…but I haven't heard from him. You should ask Mia. Maybe he mentioned something to her when she was picking up Niall?" he suggested. She shook her head.

"She would have said something to me. Besides, when she sees him she barely even talks to him. You know how much she hates him…"

"I never got that. I mean, it was _you _he was engaged to, yet she'd the one who's holding the grudge?"

"In all fairness, he did actually love me. He never loved her, he just used her for sex. And he _told _her that. To her _face._"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Wow, I can't believe he did that…that's so out of order…"

"Well, he did get a broken nose from it…"

"At least one good thing came of that situation. Although I still think she should have slapped him. I know from experience that a good bitch slap is _much _more painful than a broken nose." He murmured. She laughed, rolling his eyes.

"She'd already slapped him six times by that point…I think she was trying to keep things interesting."

"Couldn't that be classed as domestic abuse…" he joked.

"What jury would convict her of that? More like animal abuse, and that's at a stretch…" she said bitterly. Austin whistled, surprised at his soon-to-be-wife's harsh words.

"I thought you were taking the proverbial high road with Dallas?"

"I am. But I can still be honest about him…it's not like I'm gonna be _nice _to him after everything he did…although if he hadn't screwed me over, I never would have met you, or Mia, or Niall, or any of your family…so I guess I have a _lot _to thank Dallas for." She smiled. Austin nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, I guess. You know, I haven't mentioned how good you look in that dress, have I?" he said, almost as an afterthought. Ally huffed.

"No, actually, you haven't. I've kinda been waiting for that…"

"Well, Ally, you look amazing. But you know what would make you look even better?"

"Do I want to know?"

"Yes."

"Fine. What would make me look even better?"

"Taking the dress off…" he informed her, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. She laughed, tossing her head in amusement.

"Wouldn't you just love that?"

"Oh, trust me, you'd make my life…"

"Well, I'd love to strip for you, but I don't particularly want to walk down the aisle in my birthday suit. Not with everyone here…"

"Eh, I'm sure they'd get over it."

"Austin, your _son _is here!"

"I suppose…but he's young, he'd forget."

"As riveting and non-disturbing as this conversation is, I'm going to have to stop you two. Austin, you need to be at the altar. Oh, by the way, guess who just turned up?"

"Justin Bieber? Oh my God, sorry Austin, but I'm going to have to choose Justin over you!" she joked. Austin scoffed.

"Please, I was voted number _one _hottie in the World. I beat the Bieber _and _all those 'lonely erection' guys." He muttered sourly. Ally snorted.

"It's 'One Direction', and please, you only won because you voted for yourself, like, seven-hundred times."

"Wow, Ally, that hurts!"

"Okay, okay! You two, please stop arguing! You're driving me insane! It's not Justin Bieber, or One Direction or anyone famous!"

"Then who is it?"

"Dallas!"

"Oh…Ally, please keep your dress on. I don't want _him _getting off on seeing you naked." Mia's eyes bulged and she shuddered.

"Oh Lord…I don't even want to know. Ally, I second that…please do keep your dress on. Austin, get to the altar now before I sic Trish on you…Dez has arrived and he's wearing that ridiculous Jelly-Bean tie and her dress just split because of her baby weight and she's looking a little purple…"

"Okay, okay, I'm going, sheesh. There's no need to threaten me like that." He protested. Mia glared at him and he practically ran into the main room. Ally watched him go and the minute he was out of her line of sight, her breathing picked up and she had to close her eyes to stop herself from fainting with panic. Mia noticed the slightly green tinge to her face and rushed forwards to grab her around the waist.

"Ally, are you okay?" she asked, worried. Ally started to nod, then gave up and shook her head. Mia helped her back into the dressing room to sit down.

"Oh God, Mia, I'm falling to pieces."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Don't all women go through this on their wedding day?"

"Most women, but it's usually last minute doubts about their husband, and whether things will work out. And trust me, you have no reason to worry about any of that, because you and Austin are perfect for each other and nothing that happens will ever change that. This is our day, Ally. Don't let your doubts and insecurities ruin this day for you." Ally smiled, hugging her friend tightly. Honestly, Ally had no idea what she would be doing right now if it weren't for Mia.

Ever since they first met she had liked her. Despite the fact that Mia was the girl her fiancé of five years had cheated on her and had a child with, she still couldn't help liking her. There was something about her…she was so happy, and carefree. Ally had never met anyone like Mia before. And even though she had Trish, her best friend for almost her entire life, she couldn't remember how she had managed to get by without Mia. It was Mia that was there for her when her dad cancelled on her for Christmas. It was the first Christmas she hadn't spent with her dad.

And it was Mia that was there for her when Trish was on her Honeymoon and she thought Austin was cheating on her. Of course, he wasn't, she was simply going through a particularly stressful period of PMS, but still, Mia was there. And that's what counts.

And now, on her wedding day, here she was. Calming her down and helping her get through without dissolving into a fit of tears.

"Thanks Mia. You're the best." She sighed, wiping her eyes carefully and taking a deep breath, regaining her composure. Mia grinned, patting her on the shoulder in one final gesture of comfort before leading her to the doors.

Ally's breathing sped up as Mia walked in in front of her, and then she reached halfway down the aisle. Ally's cue to go. Breathing in deeply, she pushed away the thoughts of falling and fainting and anything else embarrassing she could do out of her mind. Her first step was tentative, but then her eyes met Austin's.

He briefly looked her up and down, but then his gaze locked onto hers and she had to restrain herself from speed-walking down the aisle. Looking back on that day, Ally could never tell you why she had been so nervous. As soon as she saw Austin waiting for her at the altar, she knew that there was nothing else in this world for her. It was Austin and Ally, or nothing at all. And from the tears of absolute joy in his eyes, she knew he felt the same.

They said their 'I do's with no hesitation, and the kiss was slightly more steamy than Ally would have liked, considering that Niall was watching. But when they pulled away, she desperately wanted more, more of him. So she threw the bouquet as quickly as she could before rushing into the changing room to change into her reception party dress. It was short and pink, and it made her legs look amazing. She slid her feet into the matching shoes and tied her hair back into a comfortable bun. Austin walked in then, grinning as he checked her out.

"Wow, that dress…wow." He murmured, slightly speechless. She giggled, slinging her bag over her shoulder and posing jokingly.

"Oh, I know." She replied, looking sultry and sexy. Austin just wanted to grab her, shove her into the car and drive to a hotel right then. But he knew she was looking forward to the reception party as much as she had been looking forward to the wedding, and he didn't want to ruin anything for her. Besides, they'd have plenty of time for those things later, during their honeymoon in Disneyland.

"Come on, Ally, we need to get going." He forced out. She nodded, sliding her jacket over her shoulders and following him out of the church and into the car.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Well, Ally, I have to say, you've done a great job with this party. Although, I get the feeling Mia had more to do with this than you did…" Dez said as he hugged his friend. Ally smiled, hugging him back and sighing.

"I had nothing to do with it. But it wasn't all Mia…Trish helped." He blanched.

"You mean _Trish _and _Mia _organised something? _Together? _Are you sure?" he asked. Ally laughed. It wasn't that they didn't like each other; Trish and Mia were great friends. But they were both very stubborn and strong-headed. It was pretty unbelievable that they had managed to work together on anything, let alone such an amazing party.

"Yeah. I'm surprised too, but I guess they managed it."

"Wow…that would explain why Trish has been so moody lately. I mean, she's been worse than she was when _we _were getting married. I thought she was, like, seriously PMS'd or something."

"I guess not…" Ally said softly, distracted by someone stood behind Dez. Dallas's eyes bored into hers and Dez followed her gaze, making a speedy exit when he spotted her ex-fiancé.

"Hi Ally." He greeted her softly.

"Dallas." She muttered. He sighed, looking down.

"Look, I came to say I'm sorry."

"Three years after everything happened?" she asked, incredulous. She couldn't believe the nerve of him. But he shook his head.

"No, not for that. I mean, I am sorry about it all, but I know I missed my chance to apologise. I missed my chance to make amends, and now it would only be disrespectful to you to ask for forgiveness."

"Then what are you saying sorry for?"

"I'm sorry that you weren't marrying me today. I'm sorry that I fucked things up with us. I'm sorry that I lost you." Somehow, Ally knew he wasn't being big-headed, and apologising because he thought she wanted him. She knew he was apologising to himself. She knew he hated himself for what he did, and he wished he could go back and change things. She could tell all this from the look of self-hatred and regret in his eyes.

And it was this new knowledge that drove her to lean forwards and plant her lips on his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut and his breath caught at the simple gesture from the woman he was still, even after three years, completely in love with.

She smiled when she pulled away.

"Thank you for coming, Dallas. He'd never admit it, but Austin's really glad you did. You're his big brother, after all. And I'm glad I could have my entire family here…how weird is that? You're my _brother in law._" She said, only just realising how strange that actually was. He laughed, nodding.

"Yeah, it is weird. But at least we don't have the same last name…that would be _too _weird." He shuddered. She laughed.

"Well, if Austin hadn't chosen to keep his birth name, we would have the same name."

"Yeah, well, I have to say, 'Ally Cipriano' just doesn't sound right."

"What about Ally Moon?"

"Honestly? I think that sounds perfect." He sighed, looking disappointed. She smiled, hugging him quickly. Over his shoulder she caught Mia's gaze. Their eyes met and Mia's jaw dropped. She put down her drink and speed-walked over. Ally laughed at the confused but thunderous look on her friend's face and pulled away.

"Hey Mia." She said. Dallas turned around, eyes wide, to watch the mother of his child storm over. When she reached hitting distance he took a step back, afraid of being slapped, or worse, punched.

"What the fuck is he doing here? Even more, what are you doing _hugging him_?" she demanded, voice shaking with anger.

"He's here because he was invited, Mia. Anyone invited to the wedding was invited to the party, remember?"

"Did he not realise that the invitation was simply a formality?" she hissed, glaring daggers at Dallas.

"No, he didn't, because it wasn't. Mia, I know he hurt you. He hurt me too. But I was with him for five years, engaged to him for most of that time. And he's my brother-in-law now. He's entitled to be here. And, well…I think you should talk to him. Give him a chance to explain himself. I mean, he can't justify his behaviour three years ago. But Mia, it was three years ago. Maybe he's changed? I need to go find my husband, but I think you should at least try to be civil. He is the father of your child, after all." Ally finished speaking, hugged her friend and hurried away.

Austin stopped her at the front doors. He looked from her to Mia and Dallas who were talking. They looked a little awkward, but Ally couldn't see Dallas being in any immediate danger, so she just shrugged and pulled Austin outside.

"Ally, where are we going?"

"We are making a speedy exit. I seriously don't have the patience to say goodbye to everyone. We'll see them in a week anyway. Besides, you're my husband now. And you're looking really, really sexy in that tux but all I can think about is taking it off, so we need to leave. Like, now." She explained. Austin laughed, kissing her quickly but heatedly. They then clambered into the car and drove off into the night, leaving their lives behind them.

"Austin, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"This next week, it's just us, okay? Nothing else. Just you and me, alone. We don't answer any calls, we don't talk about anyone else, we don't even think about anything except the two of us being together. Can we do that?"

"Of course we can, Mrs Ally Moon. I love you."

"I love you too, Mr Austin Moon."

And in that moment, she had never loved anything more than she loved him. She'd thought Dallas was The One, but then Austin came along. And now she had Addison, Alice, Charlotte, Graham and so many more people in her life.

"I guess it's just Something About Texas…" she murmured under her breath.

"What was that?" asked Austin. She shook her head.

"Nothing, baby. It was nothing."

**Thank. You. So. Much. Love you guys! **


End file.
